MANILA, Philippines?Days after employees staged a protest demanding her ouster, Marissa Laguardia, chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), seemed unperturbed.

"So far everything is quiet and there are no controversial films," she told Inquirer Entertainment.

Laguardia said the employees' rally didn't surprise her. "When management wants to institute reforms, resistance is expected. We have to do what is right for the MTRCB."

She said the board is buckling down to work on serious issues confronting it. "We're revising our implementing rules on classification, in consultation with psychologist Dr. Norieta Valderama and Mag Cruz Hatol, secretary general of Anak TV," she said.

The Anak TV Seal is awarded by the Southeast Asia Foundation for Children and Television to programs adjudged suitable for kids. It is the only organization devoted to ensuring safety in children's TV viewing, according to foundation board member Terra Daffon.

"The MTRCB has also conducted seminars and workshops on the effects on children of sex and violence shown on television and in films," Laguardia said. "We continue to learn and hone our work in classification for the good of the TV and movie industries and the viewing public."

Laguardia said the board is also working on the acquisition of a building to permanently house the MTRCB.

"For the past 78 years, the MTRCB has been renting in different buildings. It would be a dream-come-true to have a place of our own. Hopefully, by next year," she said.

Bayani San Diego Jr.