MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs chief Ging Reyes defended the airing of a Chinese language newscast on ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), saying this should not be equated with China’s incursions into the West Philippine Sea and cautioning against racism.
“The airing on ANC of Chinatown News should not be equated with the intrusions in the West Philippine Sea. Chinatown News is produced by fellow Filipinos who belong to the Filipino-Chinese community. They are part of Philippine society,” Reyes said, assuring that ABS-CBN retains editorial control over the newscast’s content.
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or ethnicity. The airing on ANC of Chinatown News should not be equated with the intrusions in the West Ph Sea. Chinatown News is produced by fellow Filipinos who belong to the Filipino-Chinese community. They are part of Philippine society. Rather than belittle their attempt
— GING REYES (@gingreyes) April 14, 2021
She added, “Rather than belittle their attempt to provide a service to their local community, it’s time we considered embracing the diversity of this land we all call home.”
Despite her defense of the newscast, she said she understood the concerns raised on China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea and other issues surrounding the regional power’s relations with the Philippines.
“ABS-CBN News has vigorously covered these issues, in our pursuit of truth and public enlightenment,” Reyes said.
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What’s Chinatown News?
Chinatown News TV, previously named Chinese News TV, aims to promote Filipino-Chinese culture, keep the public informed on current events in the Philippines and abroad, and spread China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative.
The One Belt, One Road initiative is a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project of Chinese President Xi Jinping that aims to revive the ancient Silk Road trade route and connect Asian markets with economic circles in Europe.
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The newscast is produced by Horizon of the Sun Communications Inc., the same production company behind the Filipino-Chinese lifestyle show Chinatown TV.
Chinatown TV co-produced the much frowned upon music video for “Iisang Dagat,” a song penned by Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian which is supposedly a tribute for COVID-19 frontliners, but was widely perceived to be propaganda for Beijing’s continued presence in the West Philippine Sea.
Chinatown News previously aired on state-run IBC13 and Iglesia ni Cristo-owned NET25 before it began airing on ANC last Monday.
ABS-CBN drew the ire of President Rodrigo Duterte over its alleged bias in its coverage of the 2016 elections and its failure to air his campaign ad.
Regulators shut down ABS-CBN’s main channel last year for lacking a franchise. A Duterte-allied House of Representatives sealed the fate of the media giant after it rejected its application for a fresh license.