SENATOR Robin Padilla has filed resolution 895, expressing his support for Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).
Padilla, chair of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, claimed that NTC’s suspension order imposed on the network was baseless and damaging.
To recall, the NTC issued a show cause order to SMNI, accompanied by a 30-day suspension, following the resolution in the House regarding the alleged violation of the network’s franchise.
“The baseless issuance of a 30-day suspension order is a transgression of SMNI’s right to due process which will result in serious and irreparable damage to it and its employees no less,” according to Sen. Robin Padilla.
According to Padilla, NTC’s move is a clear violation of due process that will result in serious and irreparable damage to the company and its employees.
The senator emphasized the significant role of SMNI in supporting the government’s anti-terrorism campaign through programs aimed at educating the public against “communist propaganda and recruitment strategies.”
He also pointed out that the network has received awards and recognition for its efforts.
The senator further noted that the show-cause and suspension order from the NTC did not specify why it was necessary to suspend SMNI or how the suspension would prevent “serious and irreparable damage or inconvenience” to the public.
In 2020, Justice Marvic Leonen issued a separate concurring opinion in the ABS-CBN vs. NTC case, emphasizing that due process is guaranteed by the Constitution.
In December 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Montoya v Varilla that while procedural rules in administrative proceedings may not be as strict, these proceedings are not exempt from “basic and fundamental procedural principles such as due process in investigations and hearings.”
