MANILA - Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz, a program anchor of SMNI who asked on air if it's true that House Speaker Martin Romualdez's office has some P1.8 billion in travel funds, admitted to the House Committee on Legislative Franchises that his information was wrong.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel asked Celiz if he will admit that his information is wrong, after the House clarified that the actual travel budget is just less than P40 million.

"Ngayon po yes, that's why we need vetting kaya nga di namin nilabas as special report or news, it was a commentary question," Celiz said.

"It is on record, inaamin po ninyo na nagkamali kayo ng information ninyo," Pimentel said.

"Since nagkamali kayo, are you willing to recant your statements and apologize to Congress?" Pimentel said.

"If that will heal the wound of the degree of an amount of insult that was forwarded to Congress, kung ganun po ang epekto niyan, wala pong problema sakin personally yun because trabaho po namin na kilalanin ang pagkakamali kung may pagkakamali pero trabaho po din namin ang magtanong," Celiz said.

"Yes sir, my answer is on the affirmative," Celiz added.

He also told lawmakers that one of his sources for this claim was an unlisted number.

"Pumasok po yung isang impormasyon, yung isang impormasyon ay unlisted number sa cellphone ko. Yung isa po ay kilala ko na source at dati ko na po siyang nakakausap," he added.

Celiz maintained he meant no disrespect, but insisted it was within his "editorial authority."

"Without any intent of malice or imputing any sign of disrespect to the Speaker of the House because we presume it is part of our editorial authority and policy as well to open questions pertaining to public interest issues," he claimed.

Pimentel asked Celiz for his source, but the latter declined.

"Gusto natin ma-ascertain. Sinabi niya may 2 source. Siya saan nga nanggaling yung source until now napakasimpleng tanong po ito eh this is not self-incriminating because we are not under the court of law," Pimentel said.

"Kung natatakot po kayong kakasuhan ano naman kakaso sa inyo eh sasabihin lang naman sa inyo ang source unless sabi ko nga wala talagang source," Pimentel said.

"In the practice of journalism the protection of the integrity and the trust and confidence of the source in the stories or in the information gathered related to stories are sacred, they are like contracts," Celiz explained.

"Ang source ko na ito, matagal ko na siyang source nung nasa NPA pa ako, wala po akong pag-aalangan," Celiz said.

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Celiz denied he was out to destroy the House.

"Hindi po ito smear campaign o isang kampaniyang orchestrated para sumira sa imahen at integridad ng House of Representatives," Celiz said.

Pimentel said Celiz did not vet his source.

"Baka naman politically motivated yan," he said, adding that SMNI is violating its franchise.

"It seems that SMNI is going to that direction where it is being used the franchise is being used to attack individuals. Yun di naman yun dapat ang mandato ninyo. It is very clear in Section 4 that you should not disseminate fake news or unverified reports," Pimentel said.

Earlier in the hearing, an SMNI lawyer invoked the so-called Sotto Law to decline answering inquiries on the source of the claim.

The law, known as Republic Act 11458, exempts publishers, editors or reporters from revealing the source of published news or information obtained in confidence.

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