Solons: Press freedom respected but SMNI abused it by spreading lies

House OKs bill revoking franchise of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI)

MANILA, Philippines — Several members of the House of Representatives have maintained that while they have a high regard for press freedom, they still support calls to revoke the franchise given to Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) due to numerous violations committed by the media outfit.

Camarines Sur 3rd District Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr., Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel made similar references to the difference between upholding press freedom and voting in favor of House Bill (HB) No. 9710.

HB No. 9710 authored by 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez was approved with 289 lawmakers voting in the affirmative, with four voting in the negative, and four abstentions.

READ: House approves bill revoking SMNI franchise 

According to Bordado, he has been vocal about the importance of press freedom, which is why he fought against the shutdown of ABS-CBN — another network that was deprived of a franchise during the 18th Congress.

“Mr. Speaker, I have the highest regard for the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression.  But Mr. Speaker, freedom requires responsibility — that was why Mr. Speaker I defended ABS-CBN to the hilt during the 18th Congress,” Bordado said.

“When you trifle or do away with this responsibility however, then we transform freedom into systematic oppression and repression […] Mr. Speaker, I therefore vote yes,” he added.

Brosas said that press freedom is a fundamental right — but SMNI, having violated its franchise by spreading misinformation and linking people to the communist movement — does not have that right.

“While freedom of the press is a fundamental right that should be protected, it does not extend to the spread of misinformation and lies. SMNI does not have the right to claim that the revocation of their franchise is an issue of press freedom when they are actively spreading misinformation,” Brosas explained.

“Press freedom comes with responsibilities, including adhering to journalistic ethics and standards of accuracy. When media outlets fail to uphold these principles and engage in the dissemination of false information, they undermine the public’s trust and contribute to the erosion of democratic discourse. Therefore, the revocation of SMNI’s franchise is not an infringement on press freedom but rather a necessary measure to address the dissemination of false information,” she added.

Castro chimed in, saying that SMNI must not be compared to other media companies whose employees automatically verify information given to them.

“SMNI is not a media company and should not be compared to true media outfits.  In truth, SMNI was used by the past Duterte administration to red-tag and spread fake news,” she said.

“It is too far from the media companies who verify first the information and sources they receive before publishing or airing stories.  While they are not mandated by law, true media companies adhere to the Broadcast Code of 2007 that was released by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas,” she added.

HB No. 9710’s approval means the bill will be forwarded to the Senate for their consideration.

READ: Bill seeking to revoke SMNI franchise approved by House on 2nd 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 

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