Movie monitoring inspectors of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board have been questioned by the Commission on Audit for repeatedly conducting visits in the same cinema houses on the same dates, incurring huge expenses for movie tickets, in the process.

COA aired the apprehension that MTRCB deputies have failed to maximize expenditure which can be assured by covering “as many as possible movie houses and movies shown in cinemas” that require inspection and review.

According to the 2020 annual audit report for the MTRCB, the agency spent at least P753,000 in monitoring expenses from May 2019 to March 2020 in the conduct of inspection and review of movies that were at times repeatedly watched in just one theater in a single day.

Audit records showed that in July, 2019, MTRCB spent P121,000 to defray of the ticket expenses of 17 deputies and board members who repeatedly watched same movies in the same or different theaters during the month.

The second largest ticket expenditures was in October, 2019, with the MTRCB disbursing P101,000 for the month. In June 2019 and January, 2020, at least P95,000 was spent for each month for the conduct of inspections.

Referring to a table indicating the number of movies watched, movie houses visited and money spent, COA said it was clear that the “monitoring and inspection duties of BMs (board members) were not maximized since their repetitive visits were to the same movie and movie-house.”


“We recommended that Management formulate guidelines on the selection of the movies and movie-houses for inspection and monitoring of its deputies to maximize resources,” the audit agency said in the report submitted to MTRCB Chairperson Maria Rachel J. Arenas.

In the same audit report, state auditors revealed that the MTRCB reimbursed P46,000 for regular cinema tickets of board and deputyized members when they can use the MTRCB board passes that entitle them to inspect and watch movies for free.

In response to the adverse COA findings, the MTRCB explained that while there were indeed movies repeatedly watched, the “screening time and location of movie houses are different.”

“There were times that movie-houses have multiple screening times for one movie especially if it is a blockbuster movie and chances are some deputy agents/BMs visit the same movie houses but different screening time,” the board pointed out.

The MTRCB added: “Moreover, one movie with multiple screening time does not necessarily mean that no violations will be found all time.”

On the disbursement of ticket payments, the board explained that paying is necessary when BMs conduct surprise inspection and movie houses and prefer not to be identified.