Solstice Magazine: Issue One

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U N E M P L O Y M E N T A N D D E F E N D I N G T HE P R E S S ‘ S F R E E D O M

ABM 15│INTEGRATIVE OUTPUT│E- TECHNOLOGY

ISSUE ONE│DECEMBER 2020

LSTICE M A G A Z I N E Graphic Illustrated by: @mikadll (Twitter)

Sophia Silva Proofreader, Layout Artist

Sharilee Encarnacion Feature writer

Solstice Magazine Masthead Marilou Arnejo Feature Writer

Joy Marie Alcaria Feature writer

On May 5, Tuesday at exact -ly 7:52 PM, the Philippines’ largest media network went off the air after a long battle to renew its franchise to broadcast. ABS-CBN shut down just hours after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease and desist order against it. Its 11,000 employees are now threatened of losing their jobs, while the Philippines is battling one of the biggest attacks on press freedom since Rodrigo Duterte became president.

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Millions watched as its most prominent flagship station signed off and TV screens went black. But while netizens captured the historic event and shared their opinions on the issue, the reason for the shutdown is still unclear to many. In this article, Solstice Magazine dives into the depths with a mission to answer the public’s frequently asked questions regarding the ABS-CBN shutdown as it intends to outline the most important facts, notable events, and prominent figures in the issue.

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Why Did ABS-CBN SHUTDOWN ?

Taken from : The ABS-CBN FB Page

The Philippine government is responsible for regulating the granting of broadcast frequencies in the country. Companies are required to acquire a franchise that is granted by the Congress through legislation and is required to undergo a long-list of procedures before attaining an approval.

ABS-CBN’s last franchise was approved for 25 years on March 30, 1995 and was due to expire this year.

Without the government’s approval, ABS-CBN can’t air content through its 80 stations on free TV and AM and FM radio stations, which use the same frequency.

Graphic by: @alaysiningepey (Twitter)

The company had tried to renew its franchise several times since 2014 and the Congress had filed 11 bills seeking the renewal, with the latest filed in July 2019. But there were many obstacles in their bid to continue operating, chief among these was that Duterte himself was against the renewal.

The Philippines' National Telecommunications Commission or NTC controls all telecommunications services in the country. The NTC’s decisions can only be appealed through the Supreme Court.

What is the ‘ntc’ ?

WhAT DOES DUTERTE HAVE TO DO WITH THE ABS-CBN SHUTDOWN ?

In April 2017, the president said that he would block the franchise request, claiming that ABS-CBN was "swindling” him by not airing one of his paid campaign ads for the 2016 elections. This was the first of many times Duterte threatened the network’s shutdown, citing personal reasons. Like other media outlets, he also claimed that ABSCBN spreads “fake news” about him. In December 2019, the President went so far as to say, “If you expect that (the franchise) will be renewed, I’m sorry. I will see to it that you’re out.” Taken from : The ABS-CBN Website It all came to a head earlier this year when the Office of the Solicitor General, through a quo warranto petition, questioned ABS-CBN’s franchise before the

WhAT DOES DUTERTE HAVE TO DO WITH THE ABS-CBN SHUTDOWN ?

Supreme Court. However, it claimed that this move had nothing to do with Duterte’s call to shut down the network.

The NTC itself said it would allow ABSCBN to continue operating even after May 4, because lawmakers were still tackling the renewal bills.

Speaker of the House Alan Peter Cayetano even said in February that they can continue to operate until 2022.

Despite these assurances, however, on Tuesday, May 5, the NTC issued a cease and desist order against ABSCBN, a day after its franchise expired, directing the company to immediately stop operations after pressure from the Solicitor General.

Taken from : rappler.com

What is a cease and desist order ?

A cease and desist letter orders individuals or businesses to stop alleged illegal activity and bans them from restarting it. In the case of ABS-CBN, this meant signing off from its multiple TV and radio stations.

Graphic by : milliondollarcloud (Tumblr)

The cease and desist order does not include the company’s other businesses, which means ABS-CBN's news, entertainment, and sports websites, streaming platform iWant, and cable channels like news channel ANC and ABS-CBN Sports + Action can still operate.

What will happen to ABS-CBN’s other channels ?

Who Owns ABS-CBN ?

ABS-CBN was founded in the 1940s and is owned by the Lopez family, former sugarcane plantation owners and once the controlling shareholder of Manila’s electric power distributor, Meralco. The conglomerate now owns several media and telecommunications companies including TV and radio stations, a film production company, a music record label, and a cable service provider.

What happened during the ABS-CBN shutdown in 1972 ?

Graphic by: @alaysiningepey (Twitter) ABS-CBN has been shut down once before.

Upon then-President Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of martial law in 1972, the military took over ABS-CBN’s operations and suspended its broadcast, along with other local TV and radio stations. This media control would last until the dictator was overthrown by the People Power Revolution in 1986. Now, this event is drawing comparisons to ABS-CBN’s recent shutdown, especially because Duterte, who has close ties with the Marcos family, has been going after the government’s critics.

In recent weeks, multiple people have also been arrested or summoned for criticising his management of the coronavirus pandemic. Taken together, there are legitimate concerns regarding attacks on press freedom, and dwindling democratic practices in the Philippines, as well as fears of another Martial Law declaration.

What’s next ?

Several lawmakers have condemned the shutdown, including Senator Grace Poe who heads the committee in charge of deliberating the bills seeking the renewal. She said that they will immediately resolve the issue but quickly passed the responsibility to the House of Representatives, which must first pass their version of the bill before the Senate can tackle it.

Graphic by: jeyembwi (Tumblr)

In the meantime, ABS-CBN said in a statement that it will continue operations through other platforms.

“We trust that the government will decide on our franchise with the best interest of the Filipino people in mind, recognizing ABS-CBN’s role and efforts in providing the latest news and information during these challenging times,” the statement said. “ABS-CBN remains committed to being in the service of the Filipino and we will find ways to continue providing meaningful service to them.”

An Article by : Sharilee Encarnacion

Graphic from : rawpixel.com

COVID-19 : Employment and Business In Times of A Pandemic

More than five months has passed since the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the COVID-19 virus phenomenon that caused several countries, even the wealthiest of which, to discontinue several businesses and corporations that has caused a decrease in each countries’ economic sectors. One by one, every country in the world was affected by the virus as it spread rapidly, earlier this year. With this, the implementation of COVID-19 protocols and precautions were set, such as the quarantine lockdown, the wearing of face masks, and social-distancing, and were strongly observed to be followed in order to contain the spread of the virus.

With the implementation of the community quarantine, many workers were terminated from their jobs, as several companies have faced bankruptcy due to the pandemic, while others made an abrupt shift to working from home.

Truly, the future ahead of us is terrifying as everything is uncertain; We have no assurance as to how things could possibly turn out in the following years and don’t know when, or if, society would return to our old ‘normal.’

Going back to the topic of employment, working from home during a pandemic has become an unexpected reality for millions of people worldwide. It sure was a struggle for everyone, since it is different to one’s regular work set up and it also requires the use of electronic devices. However, it is unfortunate that a large number of people are not able to afford to purchase electronic devices which leaves them completely unemployed and little to zero options to turn to.

“A Pew Research Center survey in 11 emerging economies finds that a median of 6% of adults do not use phones at all, and a median of 7% do not own phones but instead borrow them from others. The mobile divides are most pronounced in Venezuela (32%), India (30%) and the Philippines (27%), countries where about three-inten adults do not own a mobile phone.“

Knowing the current situation all of us are undergoing as of the moment, finding a proper source of income has been very difficult. In fact, those who are currently employed constantly worry about their company’s state, as several corporations are facing bankruptcy due to the pandemic, and their employment as they fear losing their means of living and to fail to provide for themselves and their families.

Source: Society for Human Resource Management, SHRM Covid-19 Research: Small Business Closures

Despite being unemployed this lockdown, people should not feel down and hopeless rather they should see this time as an opportunity. This time can be used to start up different businesses such as an online business. Online businesses are now expanding since our economy has become a “digital economy”. Having an online business does not guarantee any success. However, it still depends on how hardworking a person is.

That is why starting a business during the pandemic is an excellent way of having another source of income. Due to the pandemic, people are having difficulties in finding ways on how they can provide for their daily needs now that they are left unemployed. But despite being in lockdown there are many companies who now offer “work at home”. But it is important to keep in mind that not all companies offer this kind of work. Nonetheless, people are encouraged to look for different sources of income.

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hile the shutdown threatens the means of living of eleven thousand people, it also affects those who rely on television and radio for information during the lockdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. Due to this, people who solely rely on ABS CBN can hardly cope up with the daily With the global pandemic that we are currently undergoing, news because they are earning money has become scarce so people are more mindful only able to afford or as to where they invest their finances on. So instead of access the content of installing WiFi routers, most members of society who aren’t farABS-CBN, especially in off tend to rely solely on television and radios, ABS-CBN’s in rural areas such as the particular.This is why the ABS-CBN Shut down does not only slums of Tondo, Manila. negatively affect the numerous terminated employees, but millions of listeners and viewers worldwide as well. In addition to this, there are areas, especially rural ones, where WiFi/ Internet is little or completely non-existent, which takes away their access to news updates, information, and entertainment.

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ccording to a 2019 SWS Survey, only 34% of those surveyed in Central Visayas have stated that they are able to use/ access Internet/ WiFi regularly, compared to 39% in Mindanao, 48% in balance Luzon and 64% in Metro Manila. In regards to that, it is not only those people who lost their job but for those people who are just relying on their program as well. This reminds me of a building wherein the foundation is struck, causing the whole infrastructure to collapse leaving the residents struggling to find comfort and security because the warmth has been taken away— the HOMES of the people.

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onetheless, despite the numerous unfortunate happenings this year, it is important that we share our blessings with those struggling as it is already a huge privilege to be able to have what we do now. Being generous, helpful and knowing how to empathize is what we need the most right now. Never look down on those people who are struggling to afford the things that everyone has, but instead learn to be open-minded to the different walks of life as no one will suffer if we all do our part and what we can to help each other.