The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has dismissed Cignal TV’s “Private Convos with Doc Rica” to reverse the board’s decision to ban the show.
On Thursday, March 14, MTRCB, released a decision junking the cable TV show’s Motion for Reconsideration for it to be back on air as the program showed “explicit content on graphic sexual experiences bared by its guests during child viewing hours”.
MTRCB chairperson and chief executive officer Lala Sotto said in a statement: “The welfare of the Filipino child should not be undermined. As a Regulatory and Developmental Board, the MTRCB ensures that content under its jurisdiction fosters positive values and contributes to the moral development of children.”
The said TV program which aired over Cignal TV’s One News channel was banned in late January after receiving an incident report from the board’s Monitoring and Inspection Unit (MIU) back in August that “highlighted specific episodes discussing sexual experiences and fantasies, featuring inappropriate language”.
MTRCB’s MIU noted a particular episode of the show in September where host Cruz interviewed a guest about sexual awakening and explicit terms like “self-masturbation, anal sex, and oral sex,” were used. The board also claimed the that they received complaints that rimarily came from concerned parents.
In a Facebook post last February, Cruz mused about the shame and stigma surrounding sex can be perpetuated by censorship.
“Parents need to recognize that science consistently shows that open discussions about sex help young people critically approach their sexual debuts as they come to understand the risks and consequences of engaging in sexual activities at a young age,” she wrote.
“Parents need to recognize that science consistently shows that open discussions about sex help young people critically approach their sexual debuts as they come to understand the risks and consequences of engaging in sexual activities at a young age.”
MTRCB, however, remained firm on their decision, saying that the TV program purely appeals to “prurient interest” in violation of P.D. No. 1986.
“The Board remained unconvinced by the Respondents’ assertions and reiterated that the use of sex-laden language and explicit discussions on sexual experiences have no place during child-viewing hours,” stated MTRCB in its statement.
Additionally, MTRCB said the ruling is in line with its “duty as ‘parens patriae’ to protect children from inappropriate content that may be prejudicial to the promotion of quality television programs and the protection of children’s moral development”.
