1-Rider solon files bill seeking to revoke franchise of SMNI

Session hall of the House of Representatives INQUIRER file photo / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, of 1-Rider, filed before the House of Representatives a bill seeking to revoke the franchise given to Swara Sug Media Corporation or the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).

According to Gutierrez’ House Bill (HB) No. 9710, SMNI’s franchise must be revoked as the House committee on legislative franchises found numerous violations — particularly over Sections 4, 10, 11, and 12 of Republic Act No. 11422.

R.A. No. 11422 contains the legislative franchise of SMNI, which was enacted in 2019 — giving the network a 25-year franchise.

READ: House to probe SMNI on claim Romualdez spent P1.8B on trips in 1 year 

“The Committee on Legislative Franchises was able to identify numerous transgressions and abuses on the part of franchise grantee – Swara Sug Media Corporation (SSMC) which operates under the business name Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI),” HB No. 9710 stated.

SMNI is currently in hot waters after Laban Kasama ng Bayan program host Jeffrey Celiz relayed on national television claims that Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez had P1.8 billion worth of travel expenses.

READ: Romualdez, House spent P39M on trips in 2023, not P1.8B – Sec Gen Velasco 

The claim has been disputed during a hearing of the committee, with Secretary General Reginald Velasco clarifying that the total travel cost for the entire House was only at P39.60 million.