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CONGRESS WANTS CENSORS APPEALS BODY ABOLISHED

Batasang Pambansa, QC, Jan. 10, 2000 Members of the House of Representatives want Malacañang to abolish the appeals committee on movies operating under its wings to give the Movie, Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) more freedom.

Rep. Gerardo Espina (Lakas, Biliran) expressed support for the proposed abolition of the presidential appeals committee. The solon, who chairs the House committee on public information, said majority of his members support the move.

Espina’s committee has started deliberating on a measure seeking to reorganize the MTRCB via the repeal of Presidential Decree 1986.

MTRCB chair Armida Siguion-Reyna had told Congress that producers and film distributors normally submit their appeals to the committee to elevate their films’ ratings from “X,” or banned for public viewing, to R-18 or strictly for adults.

Siguion-Reyna told a recent congressional hearing that since the start of the Estrada administration, the MTRCB reviewed 52 films and nine were given an “X” rating by the board.

“With the appeals committee on their side, ratings of six of the nine films were raised to R-18,” Siguion-Reyna said.

“Scrapping the said committee as an alternative solution will somehow give way to a more informative, educational, entertaining and realistic quality films,” Espina said.

Rep. Imee Marcos (KBL, LAMP), vice chair of the public information committee, said the House’s initiative seeks to ensure the protection of the public against pornograpy.

Marcos said “freedom has certain parameters and the MTRCB should know this,” adding that Siguion-Reyna’s board must initiate schemes to help protect and promote responsible airing of television and film productions.