Robin Padilla seeks probe into SMNI's indefinite suspension

Senator Robin Padilla filed a resolution seeking an inquiry on the continued indefinite suspension of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).

In filing Senate Resolution No. (SRN) 1000, Padilla said it is imperative to investigate the possible violation of press freedom with such suspension.

“The imposition of baseless suspension orders on SMNI not only constitutes a denial of due process but also an erosion of press freedom,” he said.

The resolution primarily directs the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, which he chairs, to conduct an inquiry on the matter.

“The right of the people to public information should not be unduly curtailed because access to information on matters of public concern and of general interest can help people in democratic decision-making by giving them a better perspective of vital issues confronting our society,” Padilla stressed in his resolution.

In his resolution, Padilla pointed out the Supreme Court’s declaration in the Chavez vs. Gonzales 2008 case “that freedom of the press is crucial and so inextricably woven into the right to free speech and free expression, that any attempt to restrict it must be met with an examination so critical that only a danger that is clear and present world would be allowed to curtail it.”

He also lamented that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) failed to justify the need to suspend SMNI’s operations and “much more express how this is necessary to avoid serious and irreparable damage or inconvenience to the public or private interests.”

To recall, the NTC suspended SMNI's operations since end-2023 and issued an indefinite suspension against it last January.

Prior to having SRN 1000, Padilla previously filed SRN 960, also urging the Senate to conduct an inquiry into the SMNI’s indefinite suspension.