NTC suspends SMNI operations for 30 days

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has ordered a 30-day suspension of the operations of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) over the reported violation of the terms and conditions of its franchise.

The announcement was made by the NTC on Thursday, covering Swara Sug Media Corporation, which operates SMNI. The network has been given 15 days from receipt of the order to show cause and explain in writing why it should not be administratively sanctioned.

The NTC said it “took cognizance of the House of Representatives’ declaration… that Swara Sug has violated at least three specific provisions of its legislative franchise, and gave due deference to such determination of the House of Representatives and its authority.” 

This comes as the commission on Dec. 12, 2023 received a copy of a resolution from the House of Representatives citing three violations allegedly made by SMNI — deliberately disseminating false information, the transfer of shares without prior Congressional approval, and failure to offer at least 30% of its outstanding stock.

A corresponding administrative hearing on the matter has been set on Jan. 4, 2024.

SMNI president Marlon Rosete refused to comment on the NTC suspension order when reached by GMA News Online. In a broadcast on SMNI, Salvador Panelo, chief presidential legal counsel during the Duterte administration, confirmed that the network received the NTC order covering its radio and television stations.

Press freedom issue?

For her part, House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list lawmaker France Castro welcomed NTC's action, saying SMNI has not been a platform for press freedom but for baseless, if not vile, attacks against opposition lawmakers.

"The SMNI issue is shaping out not to be a press freedom issue as its hosts and 'talents' want to project. With the recent hearings by the Committee on Legislative Franchise on SMNI, as well as some of the documents that we have seen, it seems that SMNI itself is a threat to press freedom with its advocacy of violence, disinformation (fake news) and intolerance (hate speech)," Castro said.

"Hindi ito tulad sa kaso ng ABS-CBN na sinadyang pinasara ng mga Duterte dahil sa pagbatikos sa kanila," Castro added.

(This is different from ABS-CBN whom then President Duterte wanted to close down due to valid criticisms.)

Castro said that NTC's preventive action should pave the way for exacting accountability on SMNI and its hosts.

"We hope that the measures for accountability of SMNI, its hosts, executives and owners including Pastor [Apollo] Quiboloy himself will continue because they have abused the network as an anti-people tool and mouthpiece of the Dutertes and the NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict)," she added.

Congressional probe

Prior to the suspension, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) suspended two SMNI programs, Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa and Laban Kasama ang Bayan, for 14 days starting Dec. 18, 2023.

The MTRCB said the programs violated established guidelines and standards governing broadcasting content, after the broadcast of House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s alleged P1.8-billion travel funds, and former President Rodrigo Duterte’s profanities and threats to kill opposition lawmaker House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro.

SMNI’s Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz last month admitted that his source made a mistake regarding Romualdez’s travel expenses, and answered in the affirmative when asked if he was willing to recant and apologize to Congress.

The SMNI franchise under the Swara Sug Media Corp. is currently under a congressional probe, as lawmakers allege that SMNI had peddled fake news against public officials. A bill seeking to revoke its franchise will be deliberated on in January 2024. —with Llanesca T. Panti/KBK, VDV, GMA Integrated News