Anchors Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz and Lorraine Badoy of Sonshine Media Network International, who were both cited in contempt by a House panel for defiance, may have to spend Christmas and the New Year in detention.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, vice chair of the House committee on legislative franchises, said in an interview on Wednesday that there was a "very big possibility" Celiz and Badoy would be confined in the Congress premises over the holidays.

"However, they can make an appeal for a furlough to spend Christmas, the holidays with their families but that has to be approved by the committee," Pimentel said. A furlough necessitates an appeal otherwise the panel "cannot act on it," he added.

Celiz and Badoy were both cited in contempt on Tuesday for allegedly violating House rules during the investigation into SMNI's alleged dissemination of false information against public officials, including Speaker Martin Romualdez and others, in violation of Republic Act 11422.

RA 1142, enacted in August 2019, grants SMNI, legally operating as Swara Sug Media Corporation of the Philippines, a 25-year franchise renewal.

Section 4 of the law mandates that the grantee shall not allow its stations "for the broadcasting of obscene or indecent language, speech, act, or scene; or for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation," which the lawmakers asserted was breached by the network.

P1.8B in travel expenses

The congressional inquiry was prompted by Celiz and Badoy's statement, citing a Senate source, alleging  that Romualdez had incurred a whopping P1.8 billion in travel expenses. The statement was made on SMNI's "Laban Kasama Ang Bayan" episode that aired on 27 November.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco debunked the allegation, saying the travel expenses incurred by the House, including the Speaker, from January 2023 to October 2023 amounted to only P39.6 million.

Celiz earlier disclosed to the lawmakers that his Senate source was a male, but he stubbornly refused to reveal his identity, citing the Sotto Law or Republic Act 11458 that exempts publishers, editors, and reporters from disclosing their sources.

The SMNI anchors' refusal to answer questions relevant to the hearing  and their acting in a disrespectful manner that ran counter to Sections 11 and E, respectively, of the House rules, served as the grounds for their detention.

Pimentel, however, maintained that the Sotto Law did not apply in the case of Celiz and Badoy.

"There is a Sotto Law to protect media practitioners. However, there is also a colatilla in the Sotto Law. It's very clear in Section 1 [that] only accredited journalists can invoke the Sotto Law. In this case, we have found out that Lorraine Badoy and Mr. Celiz are not accredited journalists or media practitioners with the KBP (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas)," Pimentel said.

The KBP previously testified that the SMNI anchors did not undergo a seminar on responsible broadcasting, which is a requirement for the accreditation of broadcast journalists.