TV5 acts on complaint vs ‘Willie’

THE MOVIE and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) released on Monday night a briefing on the results of a preliminary conference hearing on the complaint of a child abuse scene in the March 12 episode of “Willing Willie” on TV5.

The briefing—its third since the controversy erupted and signed by MTRCB Chair Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares—contained the following “regulatory measures” that TV5 has undertaken, as disclosed by the network’s executive vice president and chief operating officer Bobby Barreiro:

Imposed stricter guidelines on the appearance and performance of minors, particularly, children on all TV5 programs;

Required that all auditions of TV5 programs be supervised by representatives designated by the TV5 ombudsman;

Appointed an internal ombudsman to entertain complaints regarding offensive programs;

Imposed a moratorium on contests and game shows involving minors;

Created a standards advisory board to be composed, among others, of a psychologist, a creative director and a children’s communications expert;

Engaged the services of a team of psychologists to attend to Jan-Jan’s needs. (Jan-Jan is the 6-year-old contestant whose dance number on “Willing Willie” prompted the complaint.)

The MTRCB briefing, which is posted on its website, also mentioned that TV5 is required to submit an investigation report by the network’s internal ombudsman at the continuation of the preliminary conference hearing tomorrow.

The Censors’ advisory likewise pointed out that “TV5 should be able to impose punitive sanctions on the program and its hosts, which can range from a reprimand to a cancellation of the TV program itself, in the spirit of self-regulation.”

The “sufficiency of the sanctions,” according to the MTRCB, “shall be subject to final determination by the hearing and adjudication committee, and the approval of the chairman.”

Llamanzares told the Inquirer: “We will respect the right of respondents to present their side and we will uphold the welfare of the child.”