Sonshine Media Network International, whose anchors falsely claimed that Speaker Martin Romualdez had incurred a whopping P1.8 billion in travel expenses, may be subject to sanctions.

The National Telecommunications Commission and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas flagged SMNI for allowing its unaccredited announcers to go on air without training, which contradicts the KBP's code of ethics.

Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz and Lorraine Marie Badoy, former anti-communist task force spokesperson, were the announcers. They host SMNI's program "Laban Kasama Ang Bayan," in which they supposedly spouted "fake news" against Romualdez.

Earlier this week, the two alleged that the Speaker had incurred P1.8 billion in travel expenses — an allegation promptly debunked by officials of the House of Representatives who cited official records.

The false allegation paved the way for a probe by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises on Thursday into possible franchise violations.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco attended the hearing where he branded as false Celiz's and Badoy's allegations, revealing that the travel expenses incurred by Romualdez, all other lawmakers, and officials of the House secretariat from January 2023 to October 2023 amounted to only P39.6 million.

Velasco called the allegation unfounded, "designed to mislead the public and tarnish the reputation of the Speaker and the entire House of Representatives as an institution."

Celiz told the lawmakers the information was fed to him by a Senate staffer who prompted him to implicate Romualdez. He declined to identify the staffer.

Subsequently, Celiz and Badoy apologized to the House and Romualdez, expressing remorse for any harm caused by their false statements. They affirmed that they were not complicit in any slander campaign against Congress.

National Telecommunications Commission Deputy Commissioner Alvin Blanco told lawmakers that they saw infractions in specific provisions of SMNI's legislative franchise, "particularly the reference provision in Section 4 on the responsibility of the franchisee not to use the station or its facilities for the dissemination of willful or false information."

SMNI, legally operating as Swara Sug Media Corporation of the Philippines, was granted a 25-year franchise renewal in August 2019 under Republic Act 1142.

Section 4 of the law mandates that the grantee shall not allow its stations or facilities "for the broadcasting of obscene or indecent language, speech, act, or scene; or for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation, to the detriment of the public interest; or to incite, encourage, or assist in subversive or treasonable acts."

According to KBP vice president for Legal and Regulatory Compliance Group Rudolph Jularbal, SMNI was also not compliant with the agency's rule when it allowed Celiz and Badoy to go on air despite not being KBP-accredited.

Since SMNI is KBP-accredited, it must require its anchors and reporters to undergo lectures on the code of ethics and an accreditation exam, according to Jularbal.