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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
March 19, 2025 | 3:53pm
A composite of the logos of Facebook and SMNI
Sonshine Media / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Several Facebook pages of the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) have been suspended by Meta for allegedly violating community standards.
In an article posted on the SMNI website, the media firm said that Meta has suspended SMNI News, DZAR 1026 and SMNI Integrated News.
Meta reportedly told SMNI that it was “expressing hatred or contempt for a group of people and using harmful racial stereotypes”.
SMNI slammed Meta’s decision, denying that it was posting anything harmful to the community.
SMNI’s Facebook suspension was further confirmed by Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, who was disappointed by the decision.
SMNI, led by doomsday pastor and alleged sex abuser Apollo Quiboloy, has a long history of red-tagging individuals and making unfounded allegations against different personalities, including the activists and journalists.
Hosts and guests on SMNI are often supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Commission on Human Rights has previously raised concerns over SMNI’s rampant red-tagging, which has included journalists like Atom Araullo.
In 2024, Araullo even won a P2 million damages suit against SMNI hosts Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz for making defamatory accusations.
“The right to free speech is not absolute. It imposes limits to ensure it does not infringe on the rights of others and does not protect defamatory statements,” the court ruled on Araullo’s case.
Several of SMNI’s Youtube pages have previously been disabled after they were found violating the website’s community guidelines.
