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MANILA, Philippines – The Film and Television Classification and Review Board (MTRCB) on Thursday sought “regulation” of video content on streaming platforms like Netflix.
During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the proposed Internet Transactions Act, MTRCB’s Legal Affairs Division Chief Atty. Jonathan Presquito underscored the need to regulate streaming service platforms.
“We need to proceed with regulation, especially during the lockdown,” Presquito said, emphasizing that most people subscribe to movie streaming services like Netflix, iFlix to keep their sanity intact.
“But all those movies are not rated …” he said.
Regulating the content offered on video streaming sites, he emphasized, would ensure that these materials comply with the MTRCB law.
“Streaming services like Netflix are video-on-demand platforms. We have to regulate those platforms, “he added.
Presquito said that when the entity registers with MTRCB, three things can happen: the films to be streamed are age appropriate, the prohibited content cannot be viewed, and the films shown online are licensed by distributors.
He said that it is the mandate of the MTRCB to review the content regardless of where it is shown, adding that the Internet is only a medium and it does not follow that the agency loses jurisdiction over the programs that are transmitted to the country.
There should be a policy that allows and guides the MTRCB to regulate content on video streaming platforms, according to Presquito.
“We want to be guided if we are included in the bill (proposed Law on Internet Transactions). Maybe someone will help us proceed with the regulation of video on demand platforms right now, ”he said.
“Because as far as we are concerned, our working draft is ready. It is an implementation issue and there is only one pending provision related to the legislation that we cannot resolve, ”he added.
But Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, author of the bill, said the measure does not cover the regulation of video content offered to consumers online.
“What our proposal intends to do is limited to the purchase and sale of videos on demand as far as content is concerned, whether rated R or 18+, ibang batas na ‘yon talaga (the measure for the content review will involve another law), ”Gatchalian said.
“It is not part of this proposed law because it is a completely new dimension,” he added.
In response, Presquito said that in other countries, all Netflix content undergoes prior review, citing South Korea’s policy that requires prior review of content from the American film and technology giant.
“We want a growth environment and indeed, during our engagement with different regulators in the [Southeast Asian] region, we usually let the streaming service flourish, but how do you [do we] balance that with regulatory mechanisms, “he said.
Still, Presquito maintained that the MTRCB law covers all content in movies regardless of platform.
“If the entity that sells the material, then that entity must first be registered with the MTRCB and secondly the material that is sold must be duly transferred by the MTRCB. Otherwise, it is a clear violation of the MTRCB law, ”he added.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the Senate committee, later asked the MTRCB to participate “actively” in discussions about the measure while his panel analyzes the agency’s proposal. [ac]
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