Meta has suspended the Facebook pages of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) and its affiliates for violating community standards, the network said Wednesday.  

SMNI, the broadcasting arm of the Apollo Quiboloy-led Kingdom of Jesus Christ, said in a statement that its SMNI News page, DZAR 1026 and SMNI Integrated News were sanctioned for “expressing hatred or contempt for a group of people and using harmful racial stereotypes.”  

“Let us be clear: we do not post anything harmful to the community. If this is the price for speaking the truth, then so be it,” SMNI said. “SMNI will always speak the truth that matters.”

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In March 2024, the House of Representatives revoked the franchise of Swara Sug Media Corp., which operates SMNI, citing alleged willful dissemination of false information and unauthorized transfer of ownership.  

Representative Rodge Gutierrez of the 1-Rider Partylist, who authored the measure revoking the franchise, said SMNI had “engaged in red-tagging and fake news peddling, labeling members of the House, the former Vice President of the Philippines (Leni Robredo) and private persons as members of the New People’s Army.”

Gutierrez also cited SMNI’s “baseless allegation” that Congress had spent 1.8 billion pesos in travel expenses in 2023, which was “subsequently disproved by no less than the head of the Finance Department of the House of Representatives.”  

“Clearly, all these acts of SMNl run contrary to its mandate provided under Section 4 of the law that granted its franchise,” Gutierrez said.