NTC suspends SMNI operations for 30 days
By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter
THE NATIONAL Telecommunication Commission (NTC) has slapped Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) with a suspension that stops it from broadcasting for 30 days.
In a media release on Thursday, the NTC said the suspension of SMNI comes with a show cause order directing Swara Sug Corp., operator of the broadcasting station, to submit within 15 days from the date of receipt of the order a written explanation on why it should not face administrative sanctions.
The NTC said its order stemmed from a House of Representatives resolution, urging it to suspend the operations of SMNI for violating the terms and conditions of its franchise.
SMNI’s legislative franchise was granted in 2019 under Republic Act No. 11422. The administrative hearing for the issuance of the order has been set for Jan. 4 next year, the NTC said.
However, the House committee on legislative franchises recently conducted a hearing following corruption allegations made by its anchors against House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
This move comes after host Jeffrey Celiz in SMNI’s Laban Kasama ng Bayan program said that Mr. Romualdez allegedly spent P1.8 billion on travel expenses in one year.
Earlier this month, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) ordered a 14-day preventive suspension order for the program and another SMNI TV show because of alleged broadcast violations.
