Mocha hazy re MTRCB’s mandate?

Recently, the sexy star-turned-blogger-turned-public servant criticized her own agency, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), for its alleged failure to regulate TV networks. Apparently, her criticism sprouted from the airing of lengthy kissing and rape scenes in ABS-CBN afternoon shows.

According to Mocha Uson, per her investigation, she discovered that the MTRCB is only reviewing the pilot episodes of TV shows, a practice she considers a red flag given the high fees she and her colleagues receive as commissioners of the MTRCB. She then calls for the public to pressure her agency to stop the self-regulation of TV networks. She also questioned the existence of the SPG (strong parental guidance) rating, which she said leaves a room for abuse.

According to its website, the MTRCB is mandated to “promote an environment leading to authentic and responsible self-regulation in the film and television industries.” Clearly, the ultimate goal of the agency is to let the industries self-regulate. Why is Uson ranting now about the self-regulation that the MTRCB is extending to the networks? Moreover, the SPG rating actually reflects the MTRCB’s proactive approach to keep up with the times. After all, what can be considered obscene during the Marcos era may no longer be obscene these days.

Nonetheless, we are already through with the regime of censorship—and no, we do not want to return to that period. Uson’s role in the MTRCB is to guide the public on what to watch, not to hinder them from watching shows that do not pass her own moral standards. After all, the letter C in her agency’s name stands for classification, not censorship.

Actually, the existence of her agency up to this day is in itself questionable. Established during the authoritarian Marcos rule in 1985, the MTRCB is certainly a remnant of martial law repression. The fact that Uson can invoke her power to ban shows from airing on the basis of her agency’s limited definition of what is morally right is in itself a form of censorship, which goes against the free speech clause of our Constitution.

It has been said that self-regulation is and will always be the only form of media regulation that will work in our country. Let us all look forward to that.

REJINEL GAMBOA VALENCIA, rejinelgvalencia@gmail.com