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Duterte is notorious for tangling with media outlets critical of his policies,
sparking concern that press freedoms have been eroded.
"It's painful for us that we are being shut down, but it's also painful for
millions of our countrymen who believe that our service is important to
them," chairman Mark Lopez told viewers just before the main channel
went dark.
Early in his term, Duterte accused the network of failing to broadcast his
2016 campaign advertisements and not returning the payments made for
them.
- 'Dark day'-
Rights and press freedom groups said the shutdown order was an assault
on the right to free speech, as the conglomerate broadcasts news
coverage watched by millions daily.
The shutdown also comes with the nation battling to contain the
coronavirus pandemic and an accompanying flood of online
disinformation.
For Daniel Bastard, the head of the Asia-Pacific desk for Reporters
Without Borders, the loss of ABS-CBN would reduce media pluralism "to
the point of recalling the worst period of the Ferdinand Marcos
dictatorship and signalling the end of democracy in the Philippines."
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said authorities in
Manila "should not let political considerations affect administrative
decisions regarding media outlets' licenses".
It had appeared the broadcaster would get its renewal after publicly
apologising to Duterte earlier this year.
However, government lawyer Jose Calida filed a legal case that sought
ABS-CBN's immediate closure.
Although the Supreme Court has yet to rule on the case, Calida warned it
would be unlawful for the broadcaster to operate after its licence expired.
Journalist Maria Ressa faces years behind bars, after publishing critical
stories on her website Rappler -- which is now also battling a government
closure effort.
The Philippines is ranked 136th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2020 World
Press Freedom Index.