House panel adopts resolution urging NTC to suspend SMNI

MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on legislative franchises adopted Tuesday night a resolution authored by a Davao City-based lawmaker who urged the National Telecommunications Commission to suspend the franchise of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).

The panel headed by Parañaque City 2nd District Rep. Gus Tambunting adopted House Resolution 1499 authored by PBA party-list Rep. Margarita Nograles, who cited numerous violations of the terms and conditions of the franchise stemming from SMNI’s alleged dissemination of fake news and engaging in red-tagging.

Nograles – a lawyer by profession – declared on record that her call for NTC to suspend SMNI’s franchise is not based on a whim that will trample the constitutionally guaranteed press freedom, but rather the right of Filipinos to accurate information and not fake news.

“As representatives of the people, we congressmen have the responsibility to ensure that the people shall be protected from false and malicious information,” she said, citing Section 4 of RA 11422 that SMNI violated by way of “deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation.”

“This is not an attack on the freedom of the press. Rather, we are defending the right of the people to have accurate and true reporting so that they can formulate honest opinions and thus contribute positively to society,” the neophyte legislator stressed.

“As we have heard during the hearing, there are several instances where SMNI peddled fake news against certain public officials. They themselves are not denying these instances,” Nograles explained further. The approval of the Nograles resolution marked the conclusion of the franchise panel’s second hearing, which aimed to investigate SMNI’s alleged violations.

The panel chair will soon announce details for an upcoming third hearing.

A retired police general-turned-lawmaker gave detained SMNI anchor Lorraine Badoy a dressing down Tuesday night and lectured her about claiming to be patriotic following her censure for alleged irresponsible broadcasting.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you, Madam Badoy, but you do not have the monopoly of love of country. I spent my life fighting for this country, so you do not have to tell me that. Mas marami akong isinugal kaysa sa iyo, so do not give me that crap,” Rep. Romeo Acop said in castigating Badoy.