Brillante Mendoza, Carlos Siguion-Reyna say no to MTRCB bill

Film directors Brillante Mendoza and Carlos Siguion-Reyena. Images from Instagram / @brillante_mendoza, @niceprintphoto

Updated 7: 28 p.m.

More individuals are expressing their views opposing the proposed expansion of the mandate and regulatory powers of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), among them award-winning directors Brillante Mendoza and Carlos Siguion-Reyna.

Actor Baron Geisler as well as several other groups also joined the growing list of film workers voicing their criticism of Senate Bill No. 2805, which would expand MTRCB’s coverage to include streaming platforms and other online content.

On his Facebook page, Mendoza said the proposed amendment, sponsored by Senator Robin Padilla, himself an actor before becoming a senator, is “deeply troubling” as it aims to “blatantly control” one’s viewing habits even if they’re in the privacy of their own homes.

“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?” he said.

“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,” continued Mendoza.

‘Political grandstanding’

The filmmaker also pointed out that the bill can be considered a form of “political grandstanding,” and that showbiz is “out of the business of governing others.” He also urged celebrities turned politicians to redirect their efforts toward the “welfare of Filipino film workers.”

“Had Eddie Garcia not died, perhaps the law regarding fair working conditions would have been enacted sooner. It’s a basic law that should have been in place long ago,” he said. “The industry has been languishing, yet no action has been taken to revive it, while ordinary film workers struggle to survive. Even directors and writers resort to odd jobs just to make ends meet.”

With this in mind, Mendoza reminded lawmakers to “not be hypocrites” and be mindful of their fellow countrymen. “We live in modern times. Let us not be hypocrites. Let us be truthful. Let us open our eyes to our surroundings.”

“Let us feel what others are going through, what is in the hearts of our fellow Filipinos,” he continued. “Let us truly see, not just look. Because in seeing, we will find something far more meaningful.”

Censorship tool

On Facebook, Siguion-Reyna warned the proposed law giving further teeth to MTRCB could have a far-reaching effect, especially if a “vindictive president” manages to get elected in 2028 who would use the law to censor “politically charged films.”

“STOP SENATE BILL NO. 2805. A vindictive President who sits in 2028 or anytime after cannot be gifted with an MTRCB empowered by Senate Bill No. 2805 to censor politically charged films that attack corruption, state violence, traitorous treaties with enemy states, etc., privately viewed in homes, computers, phones, and devices,” he wrote.

Dying industry

Geisler also voiced his dislike of the MTRCB bill, saying it would kill the already ailing industry, while film critics and the scriptwriters organizations call for self-regulation.

“Why?” the actor said in a social media post after sharing an art card announcing the passage of the bill on third and final reading in the Senate. “Patay na industriya, mas lalo pang binaon.”

Image: Screengrab from Facebook/Baron Geisler

On their respective social media platforms, the Guild of Assistant Directors and Script Supervisors of the Philippines, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, and the Philippine Independent Producers Guild (PIPG) said the bill is a form of “censorship,” while stating that “public education and media literacy campaigns” should be prioritized instead.

The assistant directors and script supervisors’ guild said on Facebook that the looming bill might possibly distance Filipino artists from possible investors and international platforms wanting to work in the local industry.

“Globally, the trend is toward self-regulation, transparent content labeling, and platform accountability rather than centralized government censorship. The Philippines risks isolating itself and deterring international platforms and investments by implementing perfectionist or overly intrusive regulatory models,” it said.

A blow to freedom of expression

Meanwhile, the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino said the proposed law will be a blow to “expressive freedoms” in the film industry. “This proposed law will serve to intensify MTRCB’s censorial authority, which across the decades has resulted in the curtailment of expressive freedoms by barring the exhibition of films on the basis of questionable and arbitrary parameters.”

“By expanding the board’s regulatory powers to online streaming, on which many filmmakers have significantly relied to reach the broader public,” it continued. “The bill bears deleterious effects on the already struggling film industry, forcing filmmakers to eke out review fees, confront bureaucratic hurdles, and navigate an environment rife with constraints to creative expression.”

The PIPG, on the other hand, said the bill adds more burden to the industry’s growing list of “unprecedented challenges,” noting that it is still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting audience behaviors, and the struggle to secure proper funding.

“Instead of tightening restrictions, the government should focus on empowering the industry by offering fiscal incentives, tax relief, co-production support, and investment in talent development and infrastructure. What the sector needs is not more oversight but a policy environment that nurtures risk-taking, diverse storytelling, and artistic freedom,” it said.

“Independent producers have long carried the weight of telling our country’s most urgent and daring stories. We call on our legislators to reject Senate Bill No. 2805 and instead engage the creative community in crafting future-facing policies that understand the essential role of cinema in shaping culture, identity, and democracy,” PIPG further added.

Padilla has not commented on succeeding opposition to his proposed law, which earlier also drew backlash from other members of the entertainment industry, among them the Aktor PH, an organization of Filipino actors, and the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, Inc. (DGPI), which even called the proposed legislature an act that would make the MTRCB a “cash cow” of the government.

With the Senate approving the bill on June 2, Padilla reiterated that the looming bill is meant to accompany parents in ensuring “discipline” toward children in terms of viewing behavior. He also stressed that it is not a fight against art and filmmaking.

The bill, prepared and submitted jointly by the Senate Committees on Public Information and Mass Media; Games and Amusement; Ways and Means; and Finance, was also co-authored by Senators Grace Poe, Win Gatchalian, Francis Tolentino, Lito Lapid, Bong Revilla, and Joel Villanueva.

Like Padilla, Lapid and Revilla are also actors-politicians, while Poe — daughter of the late Action King Fernando Poe, Jr. and Susan Roces — was a former MTRCB chairperson. /edv