Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque downplayed the impact of the shutdown of ABS-CBN’s franchise rejection to news coverage of Super Typhoon Rolly (Goni), saying Filipinos can just turn to government-run channels.

Asked if there was an “information gap” in dissemination of critical news reports about Rolly because of the loss of ABS-CBN’s free channel and closure of many of its regional stations, Roque said on Monday, November 2, “Nagbibigay pugay po tayo lalong-lalo na sa mga PTV reporters, sa PIA. Gumagana po ‘yung communication infrastructure ng gobyerno sa panahon ng aberya so sa tingin ko po wala naman pong vacuum.”

(We give thanks especially to our PTV reporters, PIA. The communication infrastructure of the government is working in this time of calamity so I think there is no vacuum.)

PTV and PIA, or the Philippine Information Agency, are state-run news outlets under the supervision of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

PTV is a television news channel while PIA has a news website.

Besides these government news platforms, Roque said there are private news agencies like TV5 and GMA7 who continue to report on Rolly and its aftermath.

Not the same

However, even PTV and PIA do not have the same reach as ABS-CBN, a media giant that was the biggest in the country in terms of reach before their franchise renewal was rejected.

ABS-CBN, being the country’s first television station, had the lowest analog frequency allocated in the VHF band and thus had wider coverage per watt of broadcast power.

 It had 21 regional stations, of which only 3 (Baguio, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro) remain open.

ABS-CBN’s radio station has also ceased to exist and the radio format program Teleradyo can now only be accessed online and on cable and digital TV.

And though ABS-CBN moved some of its shows to free TV A2Z, these don’t include news programs.

PTV, meanwhile, also has 21 regional stations, according to its website, but only 13 were labeled as being “on air.”

Another key difference between PTV and ABS-CBN is that PTV, being run by the government, is likely to parrot the government perspective. ABS-CBN, being a private company, would have more room to provide alternative view points.

More than a comparison of frequency reach and number of regional stations, journalism professor Danilo Arao said the negative impact of the franchise rejection was that it took out one more news source that would have greatly aided Filipinos in times of calamities when an abundance and variety of information is ideal.

“While we expect all news media organizations to provide the latest weather updates, I still maintain that ABS-CBN is sorely missed for one simple, 4-word reason: All hands on deck,” Arao said on Twitter.

Health reform advocate and former coronavirus task force consultant Tony Leachon said that “overcommunication” can “save lives,” and the ABS-CBN shutdown compromised this.

News teams and reporters of ABS-CBN regional stations would have also added to the number of localized reports and on-the-ground news coverage that are essential during calamities like Rolly when national news teams would have difficulty accessing certain remote areas.

The House of Representatives, dominated by President Duterte’s allies, had rejected a new franchise for ABS-CBN in July following the Chief Executive’s constant rants about the network since 2017. – Rappler.com