Rep. Raoul Manuel links SMNI to 288 red-tagging videos

[Updated]

MANILA, Philippines — Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel revealed on Wednesday that the Makabayan bloc has monitored over 288 videos wherein Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) hosts resorted to red-tagging of progressive groups and fake news about some lawmakers like him.

During the hearing of the House committee on legislative franchises on Wednesday, Manuel said the videos were uploaded on SMNI’s old YouTube account back in 2022 before the page was taken down due to criminal cases of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder and leader Apollo Quiboloy.

“We have monitored several red-tagging and misinformation videos in two months, from September 1 to October 30. That’s more than 288 videos,” Manuel said, speaking partly in Filipino.

“On average, there are five videos a day wherein SMNI programs mention the alleged links of youth organizations and people’s organizations as alleged fronts of rebel groups. They are uploaded in the old SMNI YouTube account,” he added.

Manuel likewise revealed that SMNI allegedly aired a news item saying that his family has condemned him for his advocacies. Contrary to this, the lawmaker said his relatives from Zamboanga City have since supported and even campaigned for him during the 2022 polls.

“It’s very clear that it’s not only red-tagging but also disseminating invented information,” Manuel said.

In line with this, Manuel recommended that the committee investigate not only SMNI’s franchise but also it programs’ accounts scattered on various news platforms.

Before Manuel shared his observation,  it was revealed to the committee that SMNI had been operating on various online platforms such as X, YouTube, TikTok, WeTV (an online watching platform), and its website, among many others.

Earlier, SMNI lawyer Mark Tolentino claimed that the network had become a target of an “unconstitutional” ruling after one of its hosts questioned whether or not House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez had a P1.8 billion travel expense.

READ: SMNI lawyer says network fiasco stemmed from wrong claims on Speaker

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Tolentino said that the host should be held accountable for his mistake instead of targeting the network.

The administrative case of SMNI stemmed from House Resolution No. 1499, which pointed out the network’s violations against the terms and conditions of its franchise under Republic Act No. 11422.

Rep. Margarita Nograles of the PBA Party list, the resolution’s principal author, stressed that Section 4 of SMNI’s legislative franchise prohibited the network from using its stations or facilities to disseminate misleading information.