ACT Rep. France Castro (FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro has maintained that the suspension of two Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) programs — including Gikan Sa Masa, Para Sa Masa which features former president Rodrigo Duterte — has been long overdue.
Nevertheless, Castro said on Tuesday that this is still a welcome development, hoping that the suspension orders handed down by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) earlier would be the start of extracting accountability from the network.
MTRCB suspended Gikan Sa Masa due to alleged threats issued by Duterte in the program; and Laban Kasama ang Bayan after hosts wrongly claimed that House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion for travel.
“This suspension is long overdue but at last now something has been done to curtail the constant red-tagging, spreading of disinformation (fake news) and threatening of individuals using these two shows as well as the network,” Castro said in a statement.
“Hopefully, this marks the start of SMNI and the people behind it being made accountable. The authorities should look into the pattern and consistent red-tagging, terrorist-labelling for longer and more decisive measures,” she added.
READ: MTRCB suspends two SMNI programs, including that of ex-President Duterte
Castro was the recipient of the alleged threats from Duterte, who last October commented over Gikan sa Masa regarding the House’ decision to remove the confidential funds (CF) of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
OVP and DepEd, which requested a CF worth P500 million and P150 million, respectively, for 2024, are headed by Duterte’s daughter Vice President Sara Duterte.
According to the older Duterte, his daughter intended to use the CF — had it been granted — for a soft revival of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.
He also said that he advised the Vice President to just be frank with Congress — particularly with Castro — that she needed the CF to stop the communist insurgency.
READ: VP Sara wanted intel funds for ROTC revival — Ex-Pres. Duterte
“I told Inday (Sara), be direct, tell them that the intelligence fund is meant to prepare the minds of the Filipinos, to address the insurgency that is taking a long time to end. And the ROTC so that we are prepared for war especially in this situation, if we do not have soldiers, then we will have the youth who can take care of their respective barangays,” he explained.
“But your first target there, using your intelligence funds, is you, France, you communists who I want to kill. I asked her to tell them that, but she refused, saying that ‘you know Pa if I did that, they might harass the PMTs (Philippine Military Training institutions),” he added.
Casto had already filed grave threats complaints against Duterte.
READ: Rep. Castro files complaint vs ex-president Duterte over death threat
Meanwhile, SMNI was the subject of an investigation in the House after Laban Kasama ang Bayan host Jeffrey ‘Ka Eric’ Celiz relayed on air alleged information from his source that Romualdez spent P1.8 billion for travel expenses.
During the hearings of the House committee on legislative franchises, this claim was disputed by Secretary General Reginald Velasco, who showed documents showing that the entire House only spent P39.60 million for foreign trips from January 2023 to October 2023.
READ: Romualdez, House spent P39M on trips in 2023, not P1.8B – Sec Gen Velasco
During the hearing, Celiz apologized to Romualdez and the House, eventually admitting that the information was wrong. However, lawmakers believe SMNI committed several other violations, leading 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez to file a bill seeking to revoke the franchise given to Swara Sug Media Corporation or SMNI.
According to Gutierrez’s House Bill (HB) No. 9710, SMNI’s franchise must be revoked as the network violated Sections 4, 10, 11, and 12 of Republic Act 11422.