‘PUBLIC WELFARE’ | Two SMNI shows placed under preventive suspension, says MTRCB

December 19, 2023 , 12:50 PM

(December 19, 2023) – The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) on Tuesday said it imposed a two-week preventive suspension on two programs of the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) over their alleged violations.

In a statement, the MTRCB said the programs subject to the 14-day suspension are “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” and “Laban Kasama ang Bayan.” It added that there was a unanimous decision to suspend the former and a majority vote to suspend the latter in the board meeting last Wednesday.

The suspension took effect yesterday.

“The decision aligns with the powers granted to the MTRCB by Presidential Decree No. 1986, ensuring that television programs adhere to contemporary Filipino cultural values,” said the MTRCB.

Two episodes of “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa”—one in October and one in November—were subject of the complaints, according to the MTRCB, noting the “alleged death threat and profane language by a guest” in that show.

In both of these episodes, former President Rodrigo Duterte targeted ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, linking her once again to communist rebels. Castro has filed a criminal complaint of grave threats against Duterte in a bid to hold him accountable for his remark.

Duterte, in his counteraffidavit, claimed that the lawmaker took his remark out of context, stressing that he was only sharing a conversation he had with his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, on the issue of confidential funds. Castro was one of the staunch critics of Duterte-Carpio’s confidential funds.

“It was a narration of our private dialogue and my recollection of the advice that I gave Inday Sara concerning said issue,” read the document. “The alleged threatening statements were not even addressed to complainant Castro or to any individual as I was simply reciting the story of my talk with Inday Sara.”

Meanwhile, the program “Laban Kasama and Bayan” was suspended because of the claim that House Speaker Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion in his travels this year. But House secretary general Reginald Velasco said this claim was false since the records show that Romualdez and his staff only spent P4.3 million.

Eric Celiz and Lorraine Badoy, the hosts of the said program, were cited in contempt and detained in the lower chamber during the legislative inquiry. But they were eventually released last week on humanitarian grounds.

“To prevent the possible repetition of these alleged infractions which may pose a negative impact on public welfare, ethical considerations, and the overall reputation of the broadcasting industry, the Board determined the need to preventively suspend the subject program/s,” according to the MTRCB.

The MTRCB said the network can use the next two weeks “to address and rectify the identified issues” in their suspended programs.

Meanwhile, Castro said the suspension was “long overdue,” considering their repeated concerns about the “constant red-tagging, spreading of false disinformation, and threatening of individuals.”

“Hopefully, this marks the start of SMNI and the people behind it being made accountable. The authorities should look into the pattern and consistent red-tagging, terrorist-labelling for longer and more decisive measures,” urged Castro.

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