Senator Robin Padilla during the Senate hearing on the Medical Cannabis Compassionate Access Act in Pasay City on July 13, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA —  Sen. Robinhood "Robin" Padilla has filed a resolution for a Senate inquiry into what he said were possible press freedom violations in the indefinite suspension of Sonshine Media Network International, which was ordered off the air last December.

In January, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) suspended SMNI indefinitely after it received reports that the media company defied an earlier 30-day suspension imposed by the House of Representatives over its alleged franchise violations.

Padilla, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, said in a release that the "baseless" suspension of SMNI operations "not only constitutes a denial of due process but also an erosion of press freedom."

He said in his resolution that the NTC had failed to explain why it ordered the suspension and "express how this is necessary to avoid serious and irreparable damage or inconvenience to the public or to private interests."

The senator also stressed that Filipinos' right to information "should not be unduly curtailed," adding that access to crucial information provides the public with "a better perspective of vital issues confronting our society."

SMNI anchors and reporters in January sought a Supreme Court relief for the suspension, saying the NTC has no power to revoke a legislative franchise and that the agency violated its right to freedom of expression and of the press.

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The NTC in 2022 issued a block order on several websites, including those of alternative news sites Bulatlat and PinoyWeekly, for alleged links to the communist armed struggle. 

The order has been questioned in court.

'NOT A FREE PRESS ISSUE'

The lawmaker also cited a Supreme Court decision that holds that freedom of the press is "crucial and so inextricably woven into the right to free speech and free expression, that any attempt to restrict it must be met with an examination so critical that only a danger that is clear and present world would be allowed to curtail it."

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Journalism professor Danilo Arao has said that suspending SMNI operations is not a press freedom issue because the media outlet — largely through its hosts — has become an avenue for spreading misinformation, hate, and baseless red-tagging allegations.

Some have pointed out that the SMNI suspension demonstrates the potential for abuse of constitutional power given to the House of Representatives over media franchises.

SMNI is linked to, but — according to network representatives — is not owned by, fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who is facing trafficking and abuse cases in Davao City and in Pasig City, as well as in the US.

Padilla was among the members of the Senate who opposed a contempt order against Quiboloy for refusing to attend separate hearings on allegations of abuse within his Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

READ:MTRCB orders 14-day preventive suspension of 2 SMNI shows

MEDIA'S ROLE DURING CONFLICT

Padilla, in a separate resolution, said he wants to explore how media organizations can help the nation during times of conflict.

Padilla said it is important for Filipinos to be "well-informed of the consequences of our political inclination and possible courses of action" should global conflicts — such as the South China Sea issue, the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the growing tension between Israel and Iran — escalate.

The sea dispute "poses potential threats to the entire ASEAN region and inadvertently puts the Philippines in a potential crisis situation, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict may affect long-existing issues including soaring inflation, fuel shortages and food insecurity," he also said.

"In critical times like this, experience tells us that the mass media, which is considered truth-tellers, plays a vital role in affecting public perception pertinent to existing conflicts," he said.