SMNI to face possible consequences for alleged false claim against House Speaker Romualdez

Sonshine Media Network International, whose hosts made a public false claim against Speaker Martin Romualdez for incurring a whopping P1.8 billion in travel expenses, may be subject to possible violations.

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

The agencies were referring to Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz and his co-host, former anti-communist task force spokesperson Lorraine Marie Badoy, in SMNI's program "Laban Kasama Ang Bayan," in which they spouted "fake news" against Romualdez.

The anchors, earlier this week, alleged that the Speaker incurred P1.8 billion in travel expenses—an allegation promptly debunked by officials of the House of Representatives citing official records.

The accusations paved the way for the initiation of the probe by the House committee on legislative franchises on Thursday into the possible violations of the SMNI's franchise.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco attended the hearing to manifest that Celiz's and Badoy's allegations were false and made it clear that travel expenses incurred by Romualdez, all other lawmakers, and officials in the House secretariat from January 2023 to October 2023 only amounted to P39.6 million.

Velasco refuted the reports, saying such allegations were false and unfounded, "designed to mislead the public and tarnish the reputation of the Speaker and the entire House of Representatives as an institution."

Celiz disclosed that a feed from his male source in the Senate prompted him to insinuate Romauldez but refrained from divulging his identity.

However, upon the scrutiny, he later admitted that the information he obtained was false.

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

National Telecommunications Commission deputy commissioner Alvin Blanco told lawmakers that they saw infractions on certain provisions of SMNI's legislative franchise, "particularly the reference provision on 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."

Meanwhile, 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 is mandated to require its anchors and reporters to undergo lectures on the code of ethics, seminar on the Broadcast Code of the Philippines, as well as an accreditation exam, according to Jularbal.

The network, Jularbal said, "is lacking in observance of the code of conduct."

The panel, chaired by Paranaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, concluded the five-hour-long inquiry on Thursday and will resume its probe on 5 December.