MANILA — Experts from the entertainment industry on Thursday weigh in on a bill that seeks to expand the mandate of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to include regulating streaming services.

During the Senate hearing, groups from the movie and television sectors gave opposing views on the proposal.

The Directors' Guild of the Philippines Inc. insisted that regulating streaming services would further hurt the film industry, which continues to struggle since the pandemic.

“Ang position namin is basically, no prior restraint… Self-regulation is kung ano ang ginagawa ng Netflix or ng You Tube na merong flagging system. Which is something that the industry can do without the help from the state,” Directors' Guild of the Philippines Inc. vice president Carlos Siguion-Reyna said.

“Yung bumuhay po sa maraming filmmakers is really is 'yung streaming. 'Yung streaming nag-allow sa maraming filmmakers, artists... na makapag-explore ng mga kwento na minsan hindi ma-approve ng mga TV, producers,” director Erik Matti of MM Reality Studios pointed out.

Laurenti Dyogi, head of ABS-CBN’s TV Production, on the other hand, doesn’t see any problem with expanding the MTRCB’s powers.

But an expanded mandate, he said, must include other platforms.

“I agree na i-upate at i-review ang mandate ng MTRCB dahil nagbago na ang tekonolohiya. And I personally feel that it should include the more dangerous platform right now that is free to our children, na hindi na natin ma-control na 'yun po sana kung meron silang mandato na matingnan 'yun na mabigyan ng koordinasyon do'n sa mga platform na 'yun because of irresponsible content that are really uploaded to social media,” Dyogi pointed out.

MTRCB chairperson Lala Sotto, meanwhile, defended the MTRCB, and insisted on its contribution to Filipino culture.

“This is the only industry that regulates movie and television. Kapag po nawala ang MTRC -- I don’t necessarily need to be the chairman -- but 'pag nawala po 'yung MTRCB, mas lalong walang-wala na talaga ang pwedeng mag-preserve ng cultural, Filipino values, lalong-lalo na po sa kabataan,” she stressed.

"Kami po ay nababahala sa mga nakikitang videos at mga palabas na hindi sakop ng MTRCB katulad ng mga online streaming videos at sa mga social media," she added.

"Hindi po katanggap-tanggap sa MTRCB ang mga ginagawa at pinapakita kaya kami po ay humihiling na maamyendahan ang aming charter nang sa ganoon ay magkaroon ng monitoring at regulation para sa mga nasabing issues."

The panel will continue its public hearing on the proposed bills.

--with reports from Sherrie Ann Torres and Josiah Antonio, ABS-CBN News

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