Read up, Lagunenses!
It's an open war between two big, influential showbiz players who both possess citizens' powers.
Internationally acclaimed director Brillante Ma. Mendoza, a Philippine national, a taxpayer and a resident of Mandaluyong City, a district in the National Capital Region (NCR) and screen hero Robin Padilla, a popular actor, a senator of the republic and a private citizen as well are at odds over a bill on expanded powers of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) that seeks control over live streaming platforms.
In his Senate Bill 2805, Padilla and other senators propose that MTRCB should regulate streaming content that intends to protect children, a measure which Brillante finds troubling.
According to Mendoza, it is a blatant control of a person's freedom of choice in the privacy of one's home.
"Who has the right to dictate what we can and cannot watch? Should a government agency have this power? Is the control they already exert over cinema and television not enough?
"We live in an age of social media and widespread internet access. We cannot, and should not, control what every citizen chooses to watch. This is not the government’s purview; it is a matter of personal responsibility. If the aim of this bill is to safeguard the morality of young people, controlling access to content is not the answer. That responsibility lies with parents in raising their children. If a child witnesses corruption daily, from the barangay level to the highest echelons of government, how can they be guided towards righteousness? This is where our focus should be," argues Brillante.
The internationally renowned filmmaker said that discipline and other values, good and bad, start with the family.
But Padilla is steadfast in his argument that digital platforms such as streaming channels are reeking with objectionable scenes like explicit sexual acts which affect the morality of the youth.
Mendoza insists that show business should stay where it belongs away from the governing of others.
The filmmaker asserts that political grandstanding must stop.
Without directly dropping the name of Robin in his further tirades about lack of support to the entertainment industry where he came from, Mendoza seems to generalize his insinuation.
"Showbiz personalities who have attained power and wealth thanks to the film industry should prioritize the welfare of Filipino film workers. They have prospered within this industry, yet concrete legislation to protect its workers remains absent. After years of acting, experiencing the hardships of filmmaking, and serving in politics, have they not paused to consider how they might help their fellow workers?" the award-winning director posed.
Entertainment editor Art Tapalla, meanwhile, said that there was a time in the recent past that Padilla distributed financial help to movie workers and to some members of the movie press.
"Pero nalaman ko na galing 'yon sa Department of Social Welfare and Development. Pero dahil wala ako sa listahan, hindi ako binigyan kahit isang sentimong duling (I learned, though, that it came from DSWD. I wasn't on the list so I wasn't given even a single cent)," informed Art.
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