GRACE POE ON NTC CEASE AND DESIST ORDER:

I trust that our colleagues in the House and Senate will do the right thing and act on it. More than ever, it is now that we must uphold our duty under the Constitution, protect the freedoms of the press and expression, and ensure fairness in all our proceedings. The whole of government is expected to do the same.

In this time of pandemic, ABS-CBN continues to provide invaluable service to the Filipino people by giving information to the public while providing livelihood to its thousands of employees. This latest development brings to light a lot of questions which must be answered by all concerned: Is it an equitable move that respects the spirit of the law, the same way that it adheres to its letter? Is this not an attack to the very existence of the press and its people? Is it proper when media personnel are risking their lives in the frontlines to deliver the information we need during this crisis? More importantly, is this government ready to be accountable for the loss of thousands of jobs in the middle of a crisis?

At the end of the day, these questions must be answered for the people. Let us continue to unite in public service and work together to get through this crisis.