The chairman of the House of Representatives committee on legislative franchises chairman has cited the importance of fair and accurate news reporting.
This developed as Sonshine Media Network International’s (SMNI) anchor Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celis of “Laban Kasama ang Bayan” apologized to Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Congress over his fake news that the latter allegedly spent P1.8 billion for his travel expenses from January to October 2023.
Rep. Gustavo Tambunting, the panel’s chairperson, made the statement after his panel launched its investigation last Thursday into potential violations of the legislative franchise of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), whose some of its anchors have been accused of spreading fake news and engaging in red-tagging.
Tambunting said fake news has no place in modern Philippine society, as he cited the need for media practitioners to always exercise prudence in performing their duties and responsibilities.
While free speech and freedom of the press are constitutional rights, Tambunting said the allocation of TV and radio frequencies is subject to the authority of Congress over legislative franchises.
“Let me emphasize that the mandate of the Committee on the Legislative Franchises is the granting, amendment, extension, or revocation of legislative franchises,” Tambunting pointed out.
“It is authorized to exercise its oversight function to determine whether or not the franchise grantees faithfully comply with the terms and conditions of its franchise,” he added.
House Deputy Majority Leader David Jay-Jay Suarez delivered a privilege speech to address accusations from Celis and SMNI anchor Lorraine Badoy, who claimed that Speaker Romualdez had incurred P1.8 billion in travel expenses—a claim debunked by records of the House of Representatives.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said records showed that the Office of the Speaker only spent P4.347 million for travel from January to October 2023.
Tambunting’s panel also deliberated on two resolutions from the Makabayan bloc regarding SMNI: one on alleged fake news peddling and baseless red-tagging of individuals, groups, and organizations and another on alleged fake news peddling, baseless red-tagging, and grave threats against ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Upon questioning of Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, Celis recanted his statement and apologized to Congress.
“If that will heal the wound of the degree of an amount of insult that was forwarded to Congress, if that’s the effect of that, I don’t have a problem with that personally because it’s our job to recognize the mistake if there’s a mistake, but it’s also our job to ask,” Celis said.
SMNI denied that it allegedly violated its franchise issued by Congress.
Tambunting, Suarez, and Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, vice chairman of the House committee on legislative franchises, said SMNI, or any other grantee of a broadcasting privilege, cannot invoke a waiver to evade responsibility and accountability for what its broadcasters, whether organic personnel or so-called block timers, say, ask or disseminate on its radio or TV station or media platform.
Tambunting and Pimentel called attention to Section 4 of the law, renewing for another 25 years the legislative franchise of Swara Sug Media Corp. of the Philippines, which Atty. Mark Tolentino, SMNI lawyer, said he is using several business names or trademarks that include SMNI.
They said the section mandates that the grantee shall not allow the use of any of its 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…”
“Under this provision, the grantee or the network is ultimately responsible for whatever its personnel, program hosts, block timers, or broadcasters say over the airwaves,” Tambunting told SMNI officials.
“If you hide behind your so-called waiver, this Section 4 will be useless, and we will not allow that,” he said.
Pimentel also invited the committee’s attention to the use by the franchise of the labels Shonshine Media Network International, Shonshine TV, and Sonshine Radio.
Pimentel said Swara Sug’s franchise prohibits it from assigning its broadcasting privilege or use to another entity.
He said Swara Sug is now known as Sonshine radio-TV network.
Tambunting said the committee would look into this issue as well.