House bill revoking SMNI franchise passes second reading

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on second reading the proposal revoking the franchise of Swara Sug Media Corp., which operates under the business name Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).

Deciding via voice vote, the House plenary approved House Bill 9710 revoking the franchise due to alleged violations such as willful dissemination of false information, and transfer of ownership without congressional approval.

The measure, authored by 1-Rider party-list lawmaker Rodge Gutierrez, was approved without amendments just a day after it was passed at the committee level.

"SMNI has engaged in red-tagging and fake news peddling, labeling members of the House, the former Vice President of the Philippines [Leni Robredo], and private persons as members of the New People's Army," House Bill 9710 read.

It added, "The [franchise] grantee corporation also attempted to create discord between the Upper and the Lower House by insinuating that unnamed and unverified Senate sources have claimed that Congress has spent P1.8 billion in travel expenses in 2023 without any basis or proof. In fact, this baseless allegation was subsequently disproved by no less than the head of the Finance Department of the House of Representatives."

During hearings of the House committee on legislative franchises, lawmakers grilled SMNI program host Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz over his refusal to name his source who allegedly claimed that Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez had a P1.8-billion travel fund. Celiz eventually admitted to the House panel that his source was wrong.

Following their refusal to respond to the panel members' queries, Celiz and his co-host Lorraine Badoy were cited in contempt and detained at the Batasang Pambansa.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Chairperson Teddy Casiño, meanwhile, had sued Badoy and Celiz for P2 million for allegedly red-tagging him.

"Clearly, all these acts of SMNI run contrary to its mandate provided under Section 4 of the law that granted its franchise," the House Bill added.

Section 4 of Republic Act (RA) 11422 states that the franchise grantee, Swara Sug Media, has "the responsibility to the public not to use its station or facilities for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation to the detriment of the public interest."

Further, Gutierrez said SMNI admitted to transitioning from a non-stock, non-profit corporation to a corporation solely under religious leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy in 2006 before transferring the controlling stake to Bro. Marlon Acobo in 2023.

Both acts were carried out without congressional approval, Gutierrez said, contrary to Section 10 of RA 11422.

The House committee on legislative franchises conducted six hearings in relation to SMNI.

When it approved House Bill 9710, the committee also moved to cite in contempt Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), for failing to attend the hearings.

Quiboloy's lawyer Ferdinand Topacio asserted that his client was not the best person to respond to the panel's queries, and directed the committee to three other KOJC officials. — with a report from Tina Panganiban Perez/ VDV, GMA Integrated News