MANILA, Philippines—If approved, a proposed ordinance in Quezon City would enable the butt of comedy bar jokes to have the last laugh.
Claiming that stand-up comedians or impersonators at local nightspots have gone way below the belt with their brand of humor, a city councilor called for the censorship of these live performers by a “regulatory board” that would also have the power to penalize their employers.
In his draft measure, District 3 Councilor Allan Benedict Reyes noted that such a body, to be created under the Office of the Mayor, would be on the lookout for “unseemly, obscene, or filthy acts, or any lewd, indecent, immoral, or insulting conduct,” as well as the use of “profane or vulgar language” onstage.
In an interview Monday, Reyes said a complaint from a concerned citizen who was “offended” by the comedians at a certain bar prompted him to make the proposal.
“Sometimes the jokes can be really mean and obscene, and particularly directed at a person in the audience,” he said, noting how the entertainers would sometimes single out a customer and make him or her the butt of jokes to draw laughs from the crowd.
“The host would sometimes refer to a person’s private parts, and that person ends up getting embarrassed instead of having fun,” he said.
Reyes admitted that the draft ordinance would face tough scrutiny in debates and public hearings, which he welcomed “so we can figure out how to do the regulating.”
The measure penalizes bar owners, operators and managers who allow such performances with imprisonment of two to five years, plus fines ranging from P2,000 to P5,000.