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House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano criticized the Motion Picture and Television Review Board (MTRCB) proposal on Friday to regulate video content on online streaming platforms like Netflix.
Cayetano was reacting to the statement of the head of the MTRCB Legal Affairs Division, Atty. Jonathan Presquito during a Senate hearing on the proposed Internet Transactions Act last Thursday.
“This is the kind of bureaucratic thinking that gives government workers a bad name,” Cayetano said in a statement posted on his official Facebook account.
The Chamber leader pointed out that the regulation of online platforms is not part of the MTRCB’s competences, citing the 1986 Presidential Decree that limits its scope to “films, television programs and commercials intended for public display in theaters and television.” .
Cayetano said Congress would give MTRCB “the opportunity to explain how they came up with this ridiculous idea” during the agency’s budget deliberations.
Meanwhile, to be relevant, Cayetano urged the MTRCB to seek ways to improve the film industry to help the country compete with its Asian neighbors.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon also voiced opposition Friday to the MTRCB’s plan to regulate Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
“It is very impractical. There are thousands of shows on Netflix alone, how will MTRCB review each one? Can the MTRCB review each content that can be accessed through the Internet? What will they do with virtual private networks that allow users to access content from other countries? If they insist on it, taxpayers will pay MTRCB just to stream movies and shows 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days, ”he added.
The senator pointed out that Netflix has more effective self-regulation mechanisms than regulation or rating on television. Netflix shows and movies have a maturity rating to help viewers make decisions. They range from the General Board to the R-18.
Also, by subscribing to Netflix, parents can set what content their children can watch. It has mechanisms that limit children’s access, a feature that free television does not have.
With reports from JAVIER JOE ISMAEL
