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| The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board says it wants to “regulate” Netflix and other video streaming platforms.(Photo by=Richard A. Reyes) |
[아시아뉴스통신=레악카나 기자] Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Friday said they would not agree and criticized the plan of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to censor shows on digital video streaming services. Senator Grace Poe, a former MTRCB chair, also opposed such a move, saying it was “counterproductive and ridiculous.”“I am personally against it,” she said.
Speaking at a hearing of the Senate trade committee on Thursday, MTRCB legal affairs division chief Jonathan Presquito said “we have to regulate” the contents of Netflix and other online movie streaming platforms, which became more popular during the lockdown to contain COVID-19.One of the “regulatory” powers and functions of the MTRCB is to approve or disapprove or delete “objectionable portions” from movies and television shows or ban them completely in the Philippines.
Cayetano said the plan to censor Netflix was absurd. He added that MTRCB should focus on the struggling entertainment industry, like improving the difficulties of Filipino actors, filmmakers and other creative agents. A veteran lawmaker said regulating Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other video streaming apps would be “impractical” as they offer thousands of films that subscribers could watch anytime on the internet.
