The House of Representatives has voted to revoke the franchise of Swara Sug Media Corp., the operator of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), associated with the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church led by Pastor Quibiloy.
House Bill 9710, which cites reasons such as the dissemination of false information and transfer of ownership without congressional approval, received overwhelming support with 284 yes votes, four no votes, and four abstentions.
The bill, spearheaded by 1-Rider party-list Rodge Gutierrez, was prompted by an episode aired by SMNI wherein anchor Eric Celiz falsely accused Speaker Martin Romualdez of extravagant foreign trips.
Gutierrez highlighted SMNI’s pattern of broadcasting falsehoods, including red-tagging and fake news peddling, which he deemed as violations of its franchise granted by Congress in 2019.
Gutierrez criticized SMNI for attempting to sow discord between the Upper and Lower Houses by making baseless claims about congressional spending. He emphasized that such actions contradict SMNI’s mandated responsibilities outlined in the franchise law.
Source: PhilNews24 | March 21, 2024
