MTRCB scolds ‘TV Patrol,’ Velvet
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:02:00 11/23/2008
Filed Under: Television, Laws
MANILA, Philippines - The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) admonished the ABS-CBN flagship newscast “TV Patrol” and its cable channel Velvet.
In an Oct. 23 letter addressed to Maria Ressa, head of News and Current Affairs, the board called the network’s attention to a “TV Patrol” episode aired Oct. 21 because a news report carried utterances made by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leader Kumander Bravo which were deemed objectionable by the board.
According to the board’s monitoring report, Bravo’s exclusive interview with “TV Patrol” contained the words “mag-giyera tayo, mag-ubusan ng lahi (let’s wage war and commit genocide).”
Andrefanio D. Santos, ABS-CBN legal counsel, told the board in a Nov. 12 letter that “Bravo and his group are the subject of a legitimate news story,” adding that “nothing in his statements ... can be considered as inciting the public to rebel or take arms against the government ... We regret if the report may have caused some discomfort to a certain sector ... of our viewing pubic.”
Velvet also got in trouble with the board for airing an episode of the US series “The L Word,” which showed kissing between two women in its 9 p.m. time slot on Oct. 30.
Velvet representatives led by head Ronald Arguelles agreed “to air the show late (11 p.m.) and to delete and/or shorten delicate scenes before airing,” board chair Marissa Laguardia told the Inquirer.
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