MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin has joined critics in opposing the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board’s (MTRCB) proposal to censor shows on Netflix and other online video streaming services.
The country’s top diplomat said the move was “embarrassing” as Netflix has been one of the current “stay-at-home” activities of most people during the coronavirus disease pandemic.
“Enough na with idiot regulation. If it’s on Netflix the whole world’s watching the show and it’s tuned to general patronage. Enough already with displaying ignorance. It’s embarrassing,” Locsin wrote in a tweet.
Enough na with idiot regulation. If it's on Netflix the whole world's watching the show and it's tuned to general patronage. Enough already with displaying ignorance. It's embarrassing. https://t.co/06LRZVd15K
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) September 3, 2020
On Thursday, MTRCB legal affairs division chief Jonathan Presquito said during a Senate hearing that the agency has to regulate the content of online streaming sites.
MTRCB’s mandate is to “regulate and classify motion pictures, television programs, and publicity materials.” This also includes removing or approving or disapproving objectionable content from the movie and television industry.
Lawmakers including Senator Franklin Drilon slammed the move, saying the MTRCB did not move on from its martial law origins as it was created during the term of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.