TINUTULAN ni Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon ang plano ng Movies and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) na isailalim sa kanilang pamamahala ang lahat ng streaming platforms tulad ng Netflix at Amazon Prime Video.

Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Drilon na kanyang kinokontra ang plano at sa halip na i-regulate ang Netflix at iba pang streaming platform, dapat ipagpatuloy ng MTRCB na payagan sila at iba pang media na magsagawa ng self-regulate content.

“It’s very impractical. There are thousands of shows on Netflix alone – how will MTRCB review each one? Can the MTRCB review every single content that can be accessed through the internet? What will they do about virtual private networks that allow users to access content from other countries? If they insist on it, then taxpayers will be paying MTRCB only to stream movies and shows 24/7, 365 days,” ayon kay Drilon.

“The MTRCB is a martial law creation. It has been institutionalized as a tool for censorship.

It is unfortunate that MTRCB has not been able to evolve and rise above its martial law origins inclined towards censorship and has not been a driver of self-regulation in the industry.

It should focus its efforts on being an instrument to improve the quality of content being produced, instead of being a tool for censorship,” giit ng lider ng minorya.

Naalala ni Drilon na itinatag ang MTRCB na nakatakda sa PD 1986 noong panahon na malapit nang bumagsak ang movie at television industry dahil sobra ang sex at karasahan sa mga pelikula.

“I’d like to believe that the industry today has achieved the maturity that PD 1986 sought to see.

They can ably self-regulate their content,” giit niya.

Aniya, nakatakda sa Presidential Decree na bumuo sa  MTRCB na nagsasabing: “through the participation of industry leaders, the industry can eventually self-regulate after it has demonstrated its maturity, self-reliance and dependability.”

“If the platform is able to effectively self-regulate and has installed features through which access, particularly by certain age groups can be limited, then there is no role left for the MTRCB to play”, giit ni Drilon. (ESTONG REYES)