EDITORS DESK
Being invited by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to become one of its deputies is an honor.
For those who are unaware, MTRCB deputies are authorized to inspect cinemas and theaters for compliance with rating restrictions and other laws.
Before being appointed as an MTRCB deputy, you must attend a two-hour “Matalinong Panonood” seminar to learn about your duties. After completing the seminar, you must take an exam online based on the material covered.
After successfully passing the test, you will receive an ID that permits you to begin your duties. As an MTRCB deputy, you can bring a companion to enter the cinema and observe.
Deputies of the MTRCB are required to submit activity reports twice a month, as stipulated in the implementing rules and regulations of the law that established the board.
Recently, I attended a seminar on becoming an MTRCB deputy. The seminar taught us to be vigilant about the content shown in movies and television. It is time to review what I learned from the seminar.
As deputies, we must verify the correct color-coded classification of the movie: Green for “G,” Blue for “PG,” Yellow for “R-13,” Orange for “R-16,” and Red for “R-18.”
Television content is classified into three categories: general audience, parental guidance, and strong parental guidance. The classification of the MTRCB for television is color-coded as follows: Green for “G,” Blue for “PG,” and Red for “SPG.”
MTRCB also has no jurisdiction over the cost of admission in cinemas, length of trailers being shown, sanitation of theaters and comfort rooms, and artistic quality of materials, more so the absence thereof.
A deputy is also not allowed free admission to theaters exhibiting the Metro Manila Film Festival or to some theaters with limited seating capacity, such as Eastwood Ultra Cinema 7, Shang Premier Theater, Directors Club in SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, and SM Aura Premier, Recliner seats of Trinoma Cinema, Ultra Cinema in Resorts World, 4D Cinema in Bonifacio High Street, Gateway Cineplex 10 and Uptown VIP Cinema (Memorandum Circular Nos. 06-09; 05-09; 04-07; 07-07; and 06-07).
Last year, MTRCB chairperson Lala Sotto-Antonio reminded the public about the limited jurisdiction of the Board when it comes to social platforms.
“Our limited jurisdiction hinders the board from addressing the increasing number of complaints on inappropriate content exhibited through online streaming platforms,” said Sotto-Antonio during the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media hearing.
Sotto-Antonio said the MTRCB can only make endorsements. At the same time, the Department of Information and Communications Technology or the National Telecommunications Commission has the power to order inappropriate content to be taken down.
I believe the MTRCB’s charter must be amended to allow the blocking of social platform content that doesn't align with Filipino moral values.
It sounds exciting to be a deputy of the MTRCB. You don’t have a monthly salary as a deputy, but you can watch all the movies you want. It’s a privilege to be part of the MTRCB. But to borrow the proverb popularized in the movie Spiderman: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
(Robert R. Requintina is the Entertainment Editor of Manila Bulletin)