SWARA Sug Media Corp., which operates Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), is likely to lose its legislative franchise due to alleged serious violations arising from the purported dissemination of fake news and vicious attacks against Congress and lawmakers.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Ty Pimentel revealed this in a recent TV interview, emphasizing that SMNI’s broadcast of an unverified and baseless report on Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez’s alleged P1.8-billion travel expenses is just one aspect of a broader pattern of assaults against the House of Representatives and its members.

“There is a really big possibility [of] revoking,” Pimentel told ANC when asked about the likelihood of Congress, which holds exclusive authority over media franchises, revoking SMNI’s license.

“There was already a pattern we have seen. If you recall, this was not the first incident that they attacked the institution … Before this incident, there were several aired programs attacking the Speaker, Congress and other individual congressmen were being attacked, in fact threatened,” Pimentel pointed out.

Pimentel was referring to an SMNI program where former President Rodrigo Duterte labeled Congress as “the most rotten institution” and another broadcast where he purportedly threatened the life of ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, whom he claimed was a communist.

“So Congress took it upon themselves to protect the institution, especially the integrity of the institution,” Pimentel said.

Pimentel, vice chair of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises, noted that during a hearing last Tuesday, the panel passed a resolution urging the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to suspend SMNI’s operations.

Additionally, he mentioned a forthcoming bill aimed at revoking Swara Sug’s congressional franchise granted through Republic Act No. 11422 in 2019, renewing its license for an additional 25 years.

“I believe there is another bill to be passed to revoke the franchise of SMNI,” Pimentel disclosed. “Based on two hearings, we have evidence proving that they have violated several sections of their franchise, and it is a ground [for revocation]. We have every reason to revoke their franchise.”

House Resolution (HR) No. 1499, introduced by PBA Party-list Rep. Margarita “Atty. Migs” Nograles, cited Swara Sug’s alleged violation of Section 4 of its franchise. This section mandates that “the grantee shall… conform to the ethics of honest enterprise; and not use its stations or facilities… for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation, to the detriment of the public interest.”

The resolution further addressed other franchise breaches outlined in Sections 10, 11, and 12 of RA 11422, specifically focusing on Swara Sug’s failure to report to Congress and seek approval, particularly regarding matters of ownership or the transfer of controlling interest.

During Tuesday’s inquiry, it was revealed that Swara Sug neither sought approval nor informed Congress about the transfer of controlling interest from Pastor Apollo Quiboloy—who is wanted in the United States for alleged conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, fraud, and cash smuggling—to Marlon Acobo through succession.

Pimentel emphasized that the House’s probe on SMNI, which flourished during the Duterte administration with the former president frequently appearing on the network, is driven solely by “public interest” rather than politics.

“We have seen SMNI in the past few years being used to attack individuals and entities, and I believe Congress just took it upon themselves that enough is enough,” Pimentel said.

“In this case, we can see that the public interest is already involved in so many cases filed against them. So many persons have been oppressed, harassed by SMNI. So I believe that we should take action on it,” he added.

During Tuesday’s hearing, it was revealed that there are at least nine pending complaints against SMNI and its talents Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz and Lorraine Marie Badoy. These cases are in a Quezon City court, the NTC, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, and the Civil Service Commission.

Most of the complaints were filed against Celiz and Badoy, who accused personalities, including former Vice President Leni Robredo, and other groups of involvement with communist rebels.

Celiz and Badoy are hosts of SMNI program “Laban Kasama Ang Bayan,” where the erroneous claim of Speaker Romualdez spending P1.8 billion on travels was presented.

Celiz later issued an apology to Speaker Romualdez and Congress after House officials refuted the claim. Official records were presented showing that the entire House incurred P39.6 million in travel expenses from January to October this year, with the Office of the Speaker disbursing only P4.3 million—a significant contrast to the unfounded P1.8 billion claimed by Celiz.

The franchise committee, chaired by Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, is also looking into SMNI’s alleged fake news peddling and baseless red-tagging of individuals, groups and organizations, as well as grave threats against Congresswoman Castro by former President Duterte and SMNI.

Due to their refusal to disclose accurate information, the franchise panel held both Celiz and Badoy in contempt, directing their detention within the House premises until the committee report is adopted during the plenary session.