Sentro ng kontrobersiya ngayon ang pamunuan ng MTRCB at ang chairperson nitong si Diorella “Lala” Sotto-Antonio.
Ito ay sa gitna ng desisyon ng Movie and Television Review and Classification Board na patawan ng 12-day suspension ang It’s Showtime dahil sa ilang alleged violations.
Ang ABS-CBN, na siyang nagproprodyus ng noontime show na It’s Showtime, ay naghain ng motion for reconsideration para hindi ituloy ng MTRCB ang suspension.
Wala pang pinal na resolusyon sa isyu.
Read: MTRCB suspends 'It's Showtime' for 12 days
Sa pamamagitan ng Zoom interview noong September 8, 2023, eksklusibong nakapanayam ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) si Lala.
Ipinaabot ng PEP.ph kay Lala na marami ang naaalarma sa pagkilos ng MTRCB para mag-suspend ng isang TV program.
Kabilang na rito ang UP Department of Broadcast Communication na naglabas ng pahayag kaugnay ng isyung ito noong September 5.
Ayon sa departamento ng unibersidad, hindi tama na pinapairal ng MTRCB ang “censorship” pagdating sa pag-regulate ng telebisyon, dahil lumalabas na nagagamit daw ang ahensiya para sa “regime of control and oppression."
Sa halip na itaguyod daw ng MTRCB ang “self-regulation” na naghihikayat ng “matalino at responsableng panonood,” naging “arbiter of morality” pa raw ito.
Umalma rin ang UP Department of Broadcast Communication sa kawalan umano ng malasakit ng MTRCB sa mga empleyado ng It’s Showtime na maaapektuhan ng ipatutupad na suspension.
Sabi pa ng university department, kung hindi man i-abolish ang ahensya ay dapat sumailalim ito sa transpormasyon "para sa makatuwirang information and media literacy."
Sinagot ni Lala ang isyung ito.
“I think, that is very biased naman,” mabilis na reaksiyon ni Lala sa panayam ng PEP.ph.
Sabi niya patungkol sa sinasabi ng university department na "utter disregard" ng MTRCB sa labor force ng It's Showtime, “And that’s the one naman that is unfair to say, because, we are not responsible for the show’s staff and crew.
“That is why we always encourage the hosts to please stay within the boundaries of the classification and rating system that we have. Para hindi naaapektuhan.
“Kasi, hindi rin naman natutuwa ang MTRCB kapag nagpapataw kami ng mga penalties para sa mga violations na ginawa.”
Diin ni Lala, “But we are a regulatory body and we have to do our job. So, we are just humbly doing our job.
“May violation, may nararapat na penalty. Kung may pananagutan, kailangang managot, di ba? Ganun lang kasimple.”
Nanawagan din ang UP broadcast department na mag-resign si Lala dahil nakokompromiso raw ang kanyang posisyon at objectivity dahil sa mga pahayag niya tungkol sa isyu.
Nang hingan si Lala ng reaksiyon ukol dito, nakangiting sabi niya, “All I can say is that’s their opinion.”
Hindi na nagdetalye pa si Lala.
Diin niya, "Well, opinion nila yon, e. I respect their opinion."
Posible kaya itong magkaroon ng epekto sa MTRCB?
“No, I don’t think so,” sagot ni Lala.
May mga nakakaunawa at pumapanig sa desisyon ng MTRCB, pero mas marami ang hindi pabor dito.
Bilang pinuno ng MTRCB, si Lala ang inuulan ng batikos ng publiko, lalo na ang “madlang people” o masugid na tagasubaybay ng It’s Showtime.
Dagdag pa rito ay nabibigyang kulay ang pagiging anak niya ni dating Senator Tito Sotto, isa sa triumvirate na Tito, Vic, at Joey na main hosts ng E.A.T., ang karibal na programa ng It's Showtime na umeere sa TV5.
Hindi ba siya naaapektuhan?
“Like I always say, it comes with the territory,” tugon ni Lala.
Read: Lala Sotto denies MTRCB targetting ‘It’s Showtime’: “No, that is not true.”
MTRCB'S DECISION TO SUSPEND IT'S SHOWTIME
Ang cake-icing incident sangkot ang couple na sina Vice Ganda at Ion Perez ang mitsa ng suspension ng It's Showtime, base sa resolusyon ng MTRCB na lumabas noong September 4.
Ano ang konteksto ng cake-icing incident?
July 25, 2023 nang umere sa "Isip Bata" segment ng It's Showtime ang sweet moment sa pagitan nina Vice at Ion.
Habang hawak ni Ion ang cake, ginamit niya ang kanyang daliri para tikman ang icing nito. Ipinikit nito ang mga mata habang unti-unting sinimot ang icing sa kanyang daliri.
Pagkatapos ay nilapitan ni Ion ang partner na si Vice. Kumuha rin si Vice ng icing sa cake gamit ang kanyang daliri, at pagkatapos ay sinimot ang icing sa daliri habang kunwa'y kinikilig.
Nabigyan ng kulay ang eksenang iyon at naging usap-usapan sa social media.
Base sa sulat ng MTRCB noong September 4, nakatanggap sila ng "multiple complaints" dahil sa "indecent manner" ng hosts ng show.
Nakasaad na may tsansa ang It's Showtime na iapela ang kanilang posisyon sa MTRCB, at puwede rin daw mag-apela sa Office of the President sakaling kumpirmahin ng MTRCB ang desisyong isuspinde ang programa.
Binanggit sa sulat ng MTRCB na may nauna nang warning ang ahensiya sa It's Showtime dahil sa hiwa-hiwalay na episode kunsaan tinuran ang mga salitang "G Spot, tinggil, at pekpek shorts."
Nakasaad daw sa desisyon ng MTRCB na ang ganoong pananalita sa programa ay labag sa probisyon ng P.D. No. 1896 Section 2B Chapter 4, at ang pag-ulit dito "will be dealt with more severely."
Hindi naman nabanggit sa sulat ng MTRCB ang isa pang insidente sa It's Showtime kunsaan nasambit ng isang host ang salitang "vibrator" noong August 2.
Sa segment na "Rampanalo," noon ding August 2, may magkaparehang contestants ang sumalo ng pera gamit ang kanilang mga labi.
Read: MTRCB Chair Lala Sotto, di kasama sa mga bumoto sa 12-day suspension ng 'It's Showtime'
LALA EXPLAINS MTRCB'S PROCESS
Tinanong ng PEP.ph kung ano ang proseso ng MTRCB sa pagka-classify sa violation na nagagawa ng isang programa.
Iniipon muna ba ang mga ito bago aksyunan?
Ayon kay Lala, "We act on each complaint accordingly. And we have our own monitoring inspection unit kasi. Sila ang taga-monitor talaga on a daily basis ng lahat ng mga programa at ipinapakita sa telebisyon.
"And then, we have, of course, our board members who review all materials like movies, movie trailers, publicity materials, television plugs, sample episodes of TV series, television programs.
"Lahat yan, ang board ang nagre-review. It takes so much of their time because they vote and deliberate for the correct classification and ratings that should be issued for each material, whether it’s a movie, a television program, a TV plug.
"Basta yung nasasakop ng MTRCB—movies and television programs. And so, we have to consider that we are following our Presidential Decree which is the P.D. 1986, and we are bound by law."
Ang P.D. 1986 ang batas na lumikha sa MTRCB na layuning mag-regulate at mag-supervise ng content sa telebisyon at pelikula.
Nakasaad ditong hindi lang basta regulatory body ang MTRCB kundi naatasan din itong manguna sa pag-upgrade ng TV and movie industries para makatulong sa ekonomiya ng bansa.
Sinabi rin na ang partisipasyon ng representatives mula sa iba-ibang sektor ay "prelude" o hudyat para itaguyod ang "self-regulation and policing by the members themselves once they have demonstrated their maturity, self-reliance and dependability."
Sa kaso ng present management ng MTRCB, sinusunod daw nito ang pagiging regulatory body ng ahensya.
Paliwanag ni Lala: "We have to enforce it and implement the law because this is our charter.
"This is why we are created. And this is why we are appointed. Ito ang trabaho namin. Maging regulatory body ng aming mga nasasakupan.
“And so, as regulators, kailangan naming i-implement ang batas. So, sinusunod namin ang P.D. 1986.
"We have a 7-Point Guideline to follow and we are composed of 30 board members, plus one vice-chairman and myself.
“And of course, we have to uphold our mandate which is the protection of our children from anything that may cause disturbance to their minds.
"We also want to ensure that every Filipino family member would have a safe, comfortable viewing experience."
Read: Vice Ganda quips about “mass report” and “double standard” amid 'It's Showtime' issues
on netizens saying it's showtime did not commit a VIOLATION
May mga netizen na naghayag ng opinyon na wala namang na-violate sina Vice at Ion sa cake-icing incident.
Habang ang iba ay pinuna na hindi angkop ang kinilos ng dalawa sa "Isip Bata" segment kunsaan may kasama silang mga bata at maaaring mapanood din ng iba pang bata.
Saad ni Lala, "Now, to answer the question na para sa iba may violations, para sa iba, wala, that is precisely why we are here.
"We are the regulatory body, the national government agency that is supposed to be regulating these television programs."
Sa kaso ng It's Showtime, sinabi ni Lala na napadalhan ang produksiyon ng programa ng apat na warnings at pitong dismissed violations mula 2022 hanggang 2023.
"Since I took oath, so one year na. Hindi naman siguro unreasonable yon for the MTRCB," aniya.
Ayon kay Lala, ang cake-icing incident ay mitsa lamang ng ilan pang paglabag umano ng It's Showtime sa panuntunan ng ahensa.
"With the diverse members of the Board, we have to always remember that the Board is a very tiny composite of society.
"The Board reviews in its entirety, any material in its entirety. We review the whole segment, we review the full context of whatever material it may be.
"And we’ve been very tolerant, we’ve been very patient.
"Why do I always say this? Because there were a lot of violations committed, which we just simply dismissed.
"And there are also several violations committed that we just easily, leniently gave warnings for it. Hindi naman agad matindi ang penalty sa mga violations incurred.
"We always want to be considerate. We always want to give them a chance.
"Meron kaming admonishing lang. May warning. So, we’ve been very considerate in terms of the penalties."
Nanindigan din ang MTRCB chairperson na hindi basta nagsusupinde ang kanilang ahensya.
Saad ni Lala: "We are not happy when we give penalties to our stakeholders, whether they are television or movie producers. Hindi kami natutuwa.
"I always say this, kahit kapag nagbibigay kami ng classification na R-18 [sa movies], hindi rin kami natutuwa.
"That’s why I’m encouraging our local producers to please, please cooperate. And please, work within the boundaries of the classification system of the MTRCB.
"Because others may say or others may argue that they’re practicing self-regulation, we appreciate that.
"But what may be... It’s just an example, in general, I’m not pertaining to any particular show.
"What may be R-18 for you as a movie producer, may be an X for us. Or what may be R-18 for you is PG for us."
Read: Vice Ganda has message “sa mga lolong hindi ako masyadong like”
lala sotto on it's showtime's right to appeal
Ipinaliwanag din ni Lala na bagamat naglabas ng desisyon ang MTRCB na isuspinde ang It's Showtime, patuloy pa rin ang pag-ere ng programa sa GTV at A2Z.
Ito ay dahil may due process daw na sinusunod ang MTRCB.
"First of all, thank you for that clarification," ani Lala.
"Because previously, when MTRCB suspends a particular show, it would always be an immediate suspension."
Tila ang tinutukoy ni Lala na pamunuan ng MTRCB kunsaan strikto ang pagsuspinde sa isang show ay iyong pamunuan ng ahensya 20 or more years ago.
Read: MTRCB heads that said "Cut!"
Patuloy ng MTRCB chair, "But this time, I made sure na it’s not final and executory.
"That is the purpose for the 15-day motion for reconsideration that we have given them. Because we want to give them the chance.
"Everybody has a right to appeal and we will wait for them to submit their MR or motion for reconsideration.
"And then, we will discuss it again, bring it to the board and the board will deliberate on whatever is written on their motion for reconsideration.
"And that’s when we will decide again. So, there’s no problem, you can still watch them, napapanood niyo pa rin naman sila."
Diin ni Lala: "I believe, the Board has been very lenient, very understanding, and considerate. It would be very unfair naman to say that we are unfair."
Read: Vice Ganda on “Wala Akong Pake” music background: “Very timely.”
ON PG RATING OF NOONTIME SHOWS
Ipinaliwanag ni Lala kung bakit Parental Guidance ang rating ng programang It's Showtime tulad ng ibang noontime shows.
"Now, with regard to classification, we have our classification rating system as stipulated in P.D. 1986.
"And all live noontime shows are automatically classified as Rated PG. Meaning to say, may mga bata na nanonood, di ba?
"But of course, parental guidance. Dapat binabantayan ng magulang."
Isinasaalang-alang daw ng MTRCB na may households kunsaan walang kasama ang bata na nakatatanda na maaaring gumabay sa panonood ng telebisyon.
"Ngayon, ang question diyan, papaano ang mga batang Filipino na wala namang napapag-iwanan? Wala namang yaya, di ba, ang lahat ng bata?
"So, that is why we are stricter with television programs because this is a PG-rated program.
"Kung SPG [strict parental guidance] sana, mas mataas siyempre ang tolerance sa mga SPG programs. Maraming mas allowed don.
"Pero under Presidential Decree, live noontime shows are Rated PG," sabi ni Lala.