FACT CHECK: Roque’s claim on ‘revoked’ SMNI franchise misleads, ‘detained’ anchors lacks context

The franchise of news outlet Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) has not been revoked under Marcos Jr.’s administration, contrary to a claim made by former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

His statement about the “detention” of SMNI anchors lacks context.

STATEMENT

In a July 7 gathering with overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong, Roque said:

“Mantakin ninyo, ang kaisa-isang istasyon na sumuporta sa kanya [Marcos Jr.] noong election — ang kaisa-isang istasyon na kanyang binigyan ng pagkakataon para sumali sa debate dahil ito ay patas — ang SMNI, tinanggalan ng prangkisa.”

 

(Imagine, the only station that supported him during the elections — the one and only station where he had a chance to participate in a debate because of its fairness — SMNI, its franchise was canceled.)

Source: Harry Roque Facebook page, Maisug Hong Kong, July 7, 2024, watch from 6:52 to 7:11

In the same video, Roque mentioned the detention last December of SMNI program hosts Eric Celiz and Lorraine Badoy at the House of Representatives but left out the fact that both were cited in contempt.

“Hawak na nila ang traditional media and yet ayaw nilang nakakarinig ng kritiko.Ano’ng ginawa sa mga nagtatanong kung paano ginastos ang kaban ng bayan gaya nila Ka Eric at Lorraine Badoy? Ipinakulong.”

 

(They already have the traditional media and yet they still do not want to hear critics. What did they do to those who asked how public funds were spent, including Ka Eric and Lorraine Badoy? They were detained.)

Source: watch from 7:22 to 7:39

FACT

Although the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had issued a cease and desist order against SMNI’s radio and television operations, its franchise remains legally valid.

The bill canceling SMNI’s franchise has been approved only by the House of Representatives. The Senate version has been pending in the Committee on Public Services.

SMNI is the media arm of the religious Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church founded by the controversial pastor and self-proclaimed “appointed son of God” Apollo Quiboloy.

In 2019, SMNI’s franchise was extended for another 25 years through Republic Act No. 11422. It is set to expire in 2044 yet, unless repealed by another law.

“The appropriate manner of effecting revocation is through a repeal of the franchise law. Thus, the repealing statute must undergo the same legislative process as when a bill is passed into law,” said Sen. Grace Poe.

The bill was filed in the House after Celiz claimed on the Nov. 27 episode of “Laban Kasama ng Bayan” that the travel expenses of Speaker Martin Romualdez allegedly reached P1.8 billion in a year, which his allies denied.

When the House Committee on Legislative Franchises probed into the issue, Celiz was cited in contempt for refusing to name the source of his information.

Meanwhile, Badoy, also an SMNI host, was issued the same order for “not being forthright about their supposed income from co-producing their show.”

Both were detained at the House of Representatives for a week before they were released on “humanitarian considerations” last Dec. 12.

SMNI continues to operate online and on social media, as they are allowed to do so despite NTC’s cease and desist order.

Editor’s note: This fact check was produced with the help of a journalism student of the University of the Philippines Diliman as part of their internship at VERA Files.