DISINFORMATION | Quiboloy’s SMNI fuels disinformation, attacks to journalists and activists

DISINFORMATION | Quiboloy’s SMNI fuels disinformation, attacks to journalists and activists – report

February 7, 2022 , 09:53 PM

By Clarist Zablan, News5 Digital

(February 7, 2022) – The broadcasting arm of a religious organization led by President Rodrigo Duterte’s spiritual adviser has been at the core of a network of accounts that have been spreading disinformation and attacked journalists and government critics, according to a media report.

Online news platform Rappler reported that Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) News, owned by Davao City-based preacher Apollo Quiboloy, appeared in a network map as a major source of posts shared to attack journalists and media organizations.

Quiboloy was placed on the FBI wanted list after he was indicted of human trafficking and sexual assault charges in the United States.

The Rappler report had cited numerous instances where SMNI news has released reports denigrating news organizations such as embattled broadcast giant ABS-CBN.

For instance, Quiboloy himself has red-tagged ABS-CBN, comparing the company to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA), the Maoist-led rebel groups that have been designated by the government as terrorist organizations.

SMNI News has also allotted plenty airtime to lawmakers who advocated in denying ABS-CBN of a franchise renewal, allowing them to allege that it has tax delinquencies, a claim that has been debunked by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

SMNI’s operator Swara Sug Media Corporation was recently awarded Channel 43, the broadcast frequency previously assigned to ABS-CBN, by the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC), not long after ABS-CBN’s congressional franchise expired.

The network map also showed SMNI’s news reports on the CPP-NPA have been frequently shared by a network of pages and accounts branding activists, government critics and human rights bodies – such as the left-wing party list coalition Makabayan Bloc and the Commission on Human Rights – justifying violence against them.

Rappler noted that SMNI News have also pushed this narrative, such as when an SMNI staff repeatedly asked members of the Makabayan Bloc about their alleged communist ties during the filing of candidacies.

SMNI News has also reported misleading and false claims that have been fact-checked in the past, such as reports that Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr has supposedly completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of Oxford. It has also aired voices from politicians and personalities who have either made false claims or government propaganda.

Last week, Quiboloy endorsed Marcos Jr and his running mate, Davao City Mayor and Duterte’s daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio.

The preacher, who called himself “appoined son of god”, said the cases in the US are a form of persecution. His lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said the timing of the release of the FBI wanted poster was politically motivated and was being used to indirectly attack Duterte.

(MM)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.