Jonas Burgos’ brother laments ‘X’ rating for abduction docu

MAKE IT FEEL LIKE A ‘DEMOCRACY’ Director-producer Jose Luis “JL” Burgos  has written the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board to appeal the “X” rating it gave to “Alipato at Muog,’’ a documentary about the abduction of his brother Jonas in 2007, which remains unsolved to this day. —CONTRIBUTED

The younger brother of missing farmer-activist Jonas Burgos expressed dismay over the “X” rating given by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to his award-winning documentary about Jonas’ abduction allegedly by military agents in 2007.

In a “letter of appeal” to the board, a copy of which he also posted on Facebook on Friday, Jose Luis “JL” Burgos expressed disappointment over the MTRCB classification that rendered the film “not suitable for public viewing.”

JL wrote the letter also as director and producer of the documentary titled “Alipato at Muog” (Flying Embers and a Fortress).

The film earlier got a PG (Parental Guidance) rating as an entry in this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival where it was one of the 10 full-length productions in competition.

“I was hopeful that the search for my brother, Jonas, would turn a notch after the ‘success’ of the film … Morale was at a record high but those hopes were quickly dampened by the news that ‘Alipato at Muog’ was given an X rating,” JL said in the film’s official Facebook page.

‘State censorship’

Citing the results of the MTRCB review that came out on Thursday, JL said the regulatory board thumbed down the film because it “tends to undermine the faith and confidence of the people in their government and/or duly-constituted authorities.”

The human rights watchdog Karapatan on Friday assailed the MTRCB’s decision, calling it the “latest example of state censorship” and a “blatant affront to freedom of expression.”

“Obviously … the powers that be are again desperate to prevent public viewing of a film that tells the truth about the crime of enforced disappearance with such depth, and goes beyond Jonas’ abduction, but of many other activists as well,” the group stressed.

JL said he would appeal the decision even if means having to “shell out a huge amount of money” despite budget constraints.

Directors whose films are shown in Cinemalaya are awarded cash grants by the festival and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

READ: They know where Jonas Burgos is

“We are pleading, please open your hearts and be the voice of the voiceless. Please stand for what is right and what is just,” JL said in his letter.

“Because when that happens we can truly say we live in a democratic country where there is no censorship and there is freedom to express one’s thoughts without fear or favor,” he added.

Willing to comply

The director-producer vowed to comply with the processes required for another review, including the submission of “documents of the Jonas Burgos case that they are asking from us.”

“Alipato at Muog” is a 96-minute documentary about a filmmaker who “uncovers the hard truths surrounding the enforced disappearance of his older brother,” according to its synopsis on the Cinemalaya website.

JL sought for an MTRCB rating on Aug. 15 after the documentary was shown at Ayala Malls Manila Bay, the Cinemalaya’s main venue this year, from Aug. 2 to Aug. 11. It was also screened in other participating malls during the festival.

On the last day of screening, “Alipato at Muog” won the Cinemalaya’s Special Jury Award for full-length film.

UP screening today

Based on the film’s social media posts, the people behind the documentary have sent out teasers about an extended screening after the Cinemalaya run.

A special screening has been scheduled for 5 p.m. today at the University of Philippines (UP) Film Center.

In 2007, another documentary titled “Rights,” a 20-minute anthology also about Jonas Burgos abduction, initially received an X rating from the MTRCB. It was later revised to an R-13 rating.

Brothers Jonas and JL are the sons of the late journalist Jose “Joe” Burgos, a press freedom advocate during the Marcos dictatorship. A martial law detainee, the elder Burgos died in 2003.