Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 1) — The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) saw possible violations committed by SMNI when one of its hosts claimed House Speaker Martin Romualdez spent ₱1.8 billion for his travels in just a year.
Both agencies attended a hearing by the House legislative franchises committee that tackled the allegation, which SMNI host Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz raised during the network’s program “Laban Kasama Ang Bayan.”
It was established during the inquiry that the information came from Celiz’s source—a Senate employee.House officials said the information was false, noting that from January to October this year, the chamber spent over ₱39 million for official trips, including ₱4 million for the Office of the Speaker.
READ: SMNI host says travel cost claim comes from Senate source
“There appear to be infractions, Mr. Chair, on certain provisions of the franchise, particularly the reference provision on Section 4 on the responsibility of the franchisee not to use the station or its facilities for the dissemination of willful or false information,” said NTC Deputy Commissioner Alvin Blanco.
The 25-year franchise renewal of SMNI, which is legally operating as Swara Sug Media Corp., was granted in August 2019 through Republic Act 11422.Section 4 of the franchise provides the network’s responsibility to the public, which includes that “[t]he grantee shall…not use its stations or facilities for the broadcasting of obscene or indecent language, speech, act, or scene; or for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation, to the detriment of the public interest; or to incite, encourage, or assist in subversive or treasonable acts.
“It seems that SMNI is going in that direction where it is being used, the franchise is being used to attack individuals. Hindi ‘yon ang mandato ninyo [That’s not your mandate],” Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said.
It is very clear in section 4 that you should not disseminate fake news or unverified reports,” he added.
Unaccredited announcers on air a possible violation
During the hearing, SMNI’s legal counsel Rolex Suplico said Celiz and co-host Lorraine Badoy, a former anti-communist task force official, are talents of the network.The grantee of the franchise, Swara Sug, cannot tell them what to say, what to ask, when to ask, how to ask, they enjoy a certain independence from us,” Suplico added.Another lawyer for the network, Mark Tolentino, said Swara Sug Media Corp. is KBP-accredited—but not its talents. For the KBP, SMNI may have committed a violation when it allowed unaccredited announcers to go on air.Atty. Rudolph Jularbal of the KBP explained that anchors and reporters of KBP member networks are given lectures on the code of ethics and are required to take an exam to pass the accreditation.
When asked if the body would initiate an investigation on the matter, Jularbal said: “Considering the information gathered during this hearing, your honors, I will report to the standards authority of KBP.”
Hiding behind disclaimer?
SMNI’s Tolentino insisted that the information about Romualdez’s alleged ₱1.8 billion travel expenses was only posed as a question, which was “given not on behalf of SMNI but it is a statement given by an anchor of SMNI.Gumagawa po kami ng internal investigation kung may nangyari ba talagang statement [We are conducting an internal investigation if a statement was made] about the ₱1.8 billion because based on our initial investigation, there was none,” he added.Tolentino also said SMNI has a disclaimer that “any statement made by the anchors is not the official stand of SMNI,” which caught the ire of lawmakers.You’re responsible for anything that’s aired there and disinformation like the accusation of ₱1.8 billion,” said Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, the panel’s chairperson.Inamin niyo responsibilidad ninyo ang laman ng program, responsibilidad niyo rin na hindi sila magsalita nang hindi maayos…hindi po kayo pwede magtago sa disclaimer,” he also told SMNI president Marlon Rosete.
