THE LAW that created the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) should be evaluated again?or junked altogether.

That was Armida Siguion-Reyna?a former board chair?commenting on the row between the MTRCB and the University of the Philippines over permits for film showings.

Armida said the law is clear: ?UP doesn?t need permits from the board,? because both ?the UP charter and the Constitution protect academic freedom.?

Last month, current censors chief Marissa Laguardia sent a letter to UP president Emerlinda Roman, expressing concern over the ?public and commercial exhibition of films at the UP Film [Institute] that have no corresponding permits.?

Armida cited Presidential Decree 1986, the Marcos-era law that created the MTRCB. There are three exemptions to this law, she said: The Cultural Center of the Philippines, foreign embassies and UP.

Not just Diliman

It?s not just Diliman that?s exempted, she said. ?Even UP Visayas and UP Los Baños.?

Laguardia differed, saying there?s no law exempting UP and/or CCP.

The fact that tickets are allegedly sold in UP doesn?t make the screenings commercial or public,? Armida insisted. ?What if [the organizers] need to raise funds?? As for the embassies, she said, they?re foreign territory and therefore not under the board?s jurisdiction.

Laguardia agreed with this, but noted that films included in festivals sponsored by embassies still pass through the board.