The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has issued an order suspending the operations of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) for 30 days due to alleged violation of its franchise.
The regulator, acting on the House of Representative’s Resolution No. 189, entitled “Resolution urging the NTC to suspend the operations of Swara Sug Media Corporation, operating under the business name SMNI, for violating the terms and conditions of its franchise under Republic Act No. 11422” issued a show cause order with 30-day suspension order dated December 19, 2023.
In its order, the NTC directed Swara Sug to explain in writing within 15 days why they should not be administratively sanctioned for alleged violation of the conditions of its authorities and comply with all the laws, rules and regulations of the land.
Under the 30-day suspension of Swara Sug’s operations of its radio and television stations pursuant to Section 16 (n) of the Public Service Act, as amended, the NTC took cognizance of the House of Representatives’ declaration in Resolution No. 189 that Swara Sug violated at least three specific provisions of its legislative franchise,
“Republic Act 11422 gave due deference to such determination of the House of Representatives and its authority over all matters directly and principally relating to the grant, amendment, extension, or revocation of franchises,” the NTC said.
The NTC was one of the invited resource person/agency in three committee hearings conducted by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Legislative Franchises that led to the issuance of Resolution 189.
“The corresponding administrative hearing by the NTC following the issuance of said Order will be on 4 January 2024,” the regulator said.
Earlier, the House committee on legislative franchises endorsed the measure for plenary action, putting pressure on the NTC to suspend the operations of Swara Sug Media Corp. operating under the business name of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) over violations of its congressional franchise as outlined in Republic Act 11422.
The franchise panel inquiry followed Deputy Majority Leader and Quezon Rep. David Suarez’s privileged speech addressing purported fake news, baseless red-tagging, and misinformation surrounding Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez’s alleged P1.8 billion travel expenses.
House officials debunked this claim, presenting official records indicating total House travel expense of P39.6 million from January to October, with the Office of the Speaker disbursing only P4.3 million.
In the initial hearing, Jeffrey Celiz, who hosts SMNI’s “Laban Kasama ng Bayan” program, acknowledged that the source of the alleged P1.8 billion travel expense he mentioned in a live broadcast was inaccurate and had not been validated.
