MTRCB out to improve seniors’ image

Boots Anson-Roa INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Recognizing that senior citizens are often the “object of unkind or insensitive jokes in media,” the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) recently conducted its first media literacy seminar for senior citizens with actresses Boots Anson-Roa and Rustica Carpio among the speakers.

“We wish to emphasize that [the MTRCB is] not here to censor or dictate but to help improve the image of senior citizens,” said board member Marra Lanot in her opening remarks. Lanot is cochair of the Committee on Senior Citizens (SC).

Lanot explained that the board coordinates with various sectors to promote Republic Act (RA) 7432, which encourages senior citizens to contribute to nation-building.

Roa, the first speaker, noted that senior citizens were “privileged” on account of their experiences. She emphasized the importance of “happiness and compassion” in aging.

Part of life

Carpio, a former board member, stressed, “Maturity is part of human life.” The PUP (Polytechnic University of the Philippines) professor urged the audience to stay optimistic in life.

National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) psychiatrist Reynaldo Lesaca Jr. discussed the “limited and negative” depictions of senior citizens in local films and television programs. “Seniors are not only useful citizens, they can have a positive influence on society,” he said.

An open forum was moderated by board member Mario Hernando, cochair of the SC committee. Vice chair Emmanuel H. Borlaza and other board members explained the functions of the agency.

Chair Eugenio “Toto” Villareal emphasized the need for audiences to be “more constructively critical and reform-oriented.” He cited an article in “L Observatore Romano” that said senior citizens were “a blessing, and have a unique charisma, because they possess disinterestedness, memory experiences and interdependence.”

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