The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Coco Martin couldn’t make it to the very first Pasasalamat dinner event hosted by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) on December 3 at Elements at the Centris in Quezon City, but in a video message, the TV superstar acknowledged the significance of the board in promoting the welfare of viewers.
On several occasions, the MTRCB had called the attention of FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, and before that, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano over sensitive issues that were deemed detrimental or harming to young audiences. The producers of these programs, led by Coco himself, were then subjected to a process called adjudication, a healthy dialog between the two parties.
Pasasalamat is a brainchild of MTRCB.
MTRCB Chairperson and CEO Lala Sotto-Antonio in a effort to reach out to various stakeholders in the TV and movie industries. It was attended by leaders in the creative industry, including those whose movies are taking part in the 50th anniversary of the Metro Manila Film Festival which opens on December 25.
At Table Number 18, I was seated beside Sylvia Sanchez, whose Nathan Studios is behind the MMFF entry, Topakk. The veteran actress said she felt lucky that her family’s entry into film production has been met with such encouraging feedback.
I told her that when I first met her, she was just another starlet waiting for her pay check at Mother Lily Monteverde’s Valencia office. Today, she has become the producer.
Pasasalamat served as a good venue to showcase MTRCB’s many achievements this year, its 40th. Chair Lala, in a fitting all-black, modern Filipiniana, reported that the board has successfully reviewed 21,441 television and film materials in November 2024, including TV plugs, trailers, publicity materials, and local and international films.
Some 21,180 materials came from TV programs, plugs and trailers, 143 publicity materials, 50 movie trailers and 68 films.
This is part of the agency’s effort to ensure that materials submitted to the Board meet the age-appropriate rating and classification standards in a bid to protect audiences from content that may be either offensive or harmful, especially to younger viewers.
She also assured the public that the Board will remain proactive in reviewing materials to ensure age-appropriate classification for all.
From January to November 2024, the Board reviewed a total of 241,144 materials.
This accomplishment reflects the Board’s dedication to ensure that all materials that undergo MTRCB classification are rated according to age-appropriateness, seeing to it that the Agency respects freedom of expression while upholding viewer protection.
“We remain steadfast in safeguarding our cultural values while supporting the creative industries,” said Sotto-Antonio. “We are committed to ensuring that all content is classified responsibly in accordance with the MTRCB Charter.”