House approves bill revoking SMNI franchise

MANILA, Philippines—The House of Representatives has approved, on third and final reading, a bill to revoke the franchise granted to Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) after a panel found it in violation of several rules.

During the last session day on Wednesday, House Bill (HB) No. 9710 by 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez was approved with 284 lawmakers voting in the affirmative, four voting in the negative, and four abstaining.

 HB No. 9710 was approved on the third reading one week after the report from the House committee on legislative franchises was referred to the plenary and approved on the second reading.

Before the bill was approved on second reading, committee chairperson and Parañaque 2nd District Rep. Gus Tambunting said that SMNI committed several violations as it did not only spread misinformation and disinformation but also engaged in “blatant red-tagging” of past and present government officials without presenting evidence.

Also, Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel said that the network violated other parts of its legislative franchise:

• Section 4 which mandates SMNI or Swara Sug Media Corporation — the legal name of SMNI — to “provide at all times sound and balanced programming
• Section 10 which mandates SMNI to inform Congress about the sale of the company to other owners or other major changes
• Section 11 which mandates the SMNI to offer at least 30 percent of its stock to the public

READ: SMNI will get chance to answer issues as it faces losing franchise – House rep https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1871980/smni-will-get-chance-to-answer-issues-as-it-faces-losing-franchise-house-rep

Investigations into SMNI, officially operating as Swara Sug Media Corporation, started after Deputy Speaker David Suarez noticed the wrong information being shared by Laban Kasama ang Bayan host Jeffrey Celiz—that Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion on trips in 2023.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco then clarified that the total travel cost for all House members and their staff from January 2023 to October 2023 was only P39.6 million.

 SMNI was also criticized for allowing itself to be an avenue for rumors and hate speech against the House, when former president Rodrigo Duterte labeled the chamber as the most rotten government organization.

Duterte made the statements over his SMNI program “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa,” after the House stripped the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) of its confidential fund requests for 2024, amounting to P500 million and P150 million, respectively.

The OVP and DepEd are headed by Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.

 The former president, in the same program aired over SMNI, Duterte was accused of threatening to kill ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, who had advocated for the removal of confidential funds under the Vice President’s offices.