Philippines Suspends Duterte Supporter’s Media Company

(Bloomberg) -- The Philippine government has suspended for 30 days the broadcasting company of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s known supporter after lawmakers accused the media outfit of violating its franchise.

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The National Telecommunications Commission ordered on December 19 the suspension of Sonshine Media Network International’s radio and television operations, and asked it to explain within 15 days why it should not be sanctioned administratively, the agency said in a statement Thursday.

SMNI’s suspension also comes as two of its shows were ordered to temporarily halt broadcast, including one that has become a platform for Duterte to slam political opponents and air his views on tensions in the South China Sea. Duterte is facing a criminal complaint for grave threats against an opposition lawmaker in an October episode of the suspended SMNI show. He has denied making such threats.

SMNI, which is associated with television evangelist Apollo Quiboloy, has faced congressional inquiry after broadcasting a report alleging House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., of having some 1.8 billion pesos ($32.4 million) in travel funds. The House of Representatives has denied the claim.

The commission on Thursday said it acted on a House resolution calling for SMNI’s punishment for supposedly violating the terms of its broadcast franchise — allegations that the media company has denied.

Quiboloy, who is in the FBI’s wanted list for alleged labor and sex trafficking which his camp denied, is Duterte’s supporter and friend. Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, has recently been distancing herself from Romualdez, testing the ruling alliance.

In 2020, Duterte-allied lawmakers rejected ABS-CBN Corp.’s franchise bid, following a state-ordered shutdown of the broadcaster that former president had frequently criticized.

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