NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
House Cites SMNI Anchors In Contempt
Photo credit: Congress PH
The House Committee on Legislative Franchises, led by Rep. Gus Tambunting, has cited Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) anchor Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz and co-anchor Lorraine Marie Badoy in contempt.
The decision came during the continuation of the Committee's inquiry into the alleged dissemination of fake news by SMNI.
Celiz faced contempt charges for his refusal to disclose the source of his statement claiming that Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion on foreign travels.
During the previous hearing, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco clarified that the Speaker's actual foreign travel budget from January to October 2023 amounted to only P4.3 million. Despite this revelation, Celiz declined to cooperate with the Committee's inquiries.
Badoy, Celiz's co-anchor, also found herself in hot water for violating the same section by refusing to answer questions and allegedly disrespecting Committee members.
Badoy purportedly misled the Committee about her role within SMNI and provided false details about the network's profits.
As a consequence of their actions, both Celiz and Badoy will be detained until the Committee Report on the inquiry is adopted in plenary.
In addition to the contempt citations, the Committee adopted a Resolution urging the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to suspend the operations of Swara Sug Media Corporation, operating under the business name SMNI. The resolution was driven by the network's numerous violations of its franchise, as uncovered during the ongoing inquiry.
The inquiry, briefly interrupted by an earthquake that jolted Metro Manila earlier in the day, was attended by officials from the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), and the Movement against Disinformation.
The decision came during the continuation of the Committee's inquiry into the alleged dissemination of fake news by SMNI.
Celiz faced contempt charges for his refusal to disclose the source of his statement claiming that Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion on foreign travels.
During the previous hearing, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco clarified that the Speaker's actual foreign travel budget from January to October 2023 amounted to only P4.3 million. Despite this revelation, Celiz declined to cooperate with the Committee's inquiries.
Badoy, Celiz's co-anchor, also found herself in hot water for violating the same section by refusing to answer questions and allegedly disrespecting Committee members.
Badoy purportedly misled the Committee about her role within SMNI and provided false details about the network's profits.
As a consequence of their actions, both Celiz and Badoy will be detained until the Committee Report on the inquiry is adopted in plenary.
In addition to the contempt citations, the Committee adopted a Resolution urging the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to suspend the operations of Swara Sug Media Corporation, operating under the business name SMNI. The resolution was driven by the network's numerous violations of its franchise, as uncovered during the ongoing inquiry.
The inquiry, briefly interrupted by an earthquake that jolted Metro Manila earlier in the day, was attended by officials from the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), and the Movement against Disinformation.
Dec 6, 2023
