THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES (NUJP) is concerned with the closure of Sugbo TV and Sugbo News – the official news outlets of the Cebu provincial government –on orders of Acting Governor Agnes Magpale.
News reports from Cebu said Magpale ordered the uplink Internet connection of the local cable television station cut and the booth padlocked purportedly to review the programs of the news outlets.
The reports said the Sugbo TV crew was also barred from continuing to cover the unfolding situation at the provincial capitol, where Governor Gwendolyn Garcia resisting her suspension.
We are concerned that the news outlets will be among the casualties in the ongoing political impasse at the provincial capitol. The closure of the news outlets has also put in question the fate of its staff.
We call on our colleagues in Cebu and elsewhere to ensure that the rights of our colleagues in Sugbo TV and Sugbo News be respected and to demand that the news outlets of the capitol cater to the interests of Cebuanos and not to any official.
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