MEMBERS of the Department of Broadcast Communication of the University of the Philippines – Diliman sought the resignation of Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chair Diorella Maria “Lala” Sotto after the agency sought the suspension of the noontime show It’s Showtime.

The MTRCB imposed a 12-day suspension on It’s Showtime on Monday due to the alleged indecent acts of hosts Vice Ganda and Ion Perez during the program’s July 25 episode.

ABS-CBN is appealing the decision. 

In a statement on Facebook, the UP Broadcast Communication Department said the MTRCB’s “severe” decision only showed the review body’s “lack of wisdom and discernment.”

“While our stand is not about a specific program, MTRCB’s recent imposition of a 12-day airing suspension on ABS-CBN’s noontime show It’s Showtime is a clear demonstration of the point about the agency’s lack of wisdom and discernment. We assert that this sanction is nothing but severe,” it said.

The department also called the MTRCB’s move “regressive” and said that it only showed the review body’s “proclivity for censorship and high handedness.”

“In many instances, it has regarded itself as an arbiter of media morality instead of a true advocate for ‘matalino at responsableng panonood.’ It has not reinvented the institution by encouraging ingenuity nor driven increased self-regulation in broadcast media,” it explained.

It called for the abolition of the MTRCB as it expressed its dismay on the agency’s supposed failure “to be responsive to the times, as reflected by its unnecessary interventions on TV programs, and in general, its pointlessness in today’s media environment.”

What the Philippine media need the most now is to curb the spread of disinformation, it said. 

“We append our collective voices to past and current calls for its abolition, or if at all, transformation into an information and media literacy agency that advances critical, intelligent, liberating, and sensible media production and audienceship, much needed in this milieu of orchestrated ignorance and disinformation,” it said. 

The MTRCB has yet to respond to the UP department’s call.

ABS-CBN earlier said that it would contest the MTRCB’s suspension. The network was given 15 days from the receipt of the decision to file a Motion for Reconsideration.

Not yet final

The MTRCB trended on X as many netizens criticized its decision.

The agency explained on Tuesday that the 12-day airing suspension imposed on It’s Showtime is not yet effective since the latter still has the chance to appeal the sanction.

“The order suspending the show shall only take effect after the lapse of the aforementioned periods without the respondents having filed their MRs or appeals,” it said in a statement.

The MTRCB also emphasized that its board members voted “unanimously” on the suspension, although Sotto did not participate in the proceedings to ensure that they exercised their independent judgment. 

Sotto’s father, former Senate President Tito Sotto III, hosts the rival noontime show E.A.T. 

“This decision was made with careful consideration of prior warnings and offenses associated with the show,” the agency said.

It’s Showtime continues to air while the case is not yet final.