A crew member carries away a piece of “Barbie” set design after the premiere of the film, Sunday, July 9, 2023, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Tolentino on Tuesday said the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has approved the commercial screening of highly anticipated film Barbie despite its depiction of China’s infamous nine-dash line.
Tolentino, in a video sent to the media, expressed his dismay over this decision, highlighting that the country will mark the 7th year of the Arbitral victory in defending West Philippine sea on Wednesday, July 12.
“Ginagalang natin ang MTRCB, pero ang nakikita ko rito ay ang patuloy na pagkamkam ng China sa karagatan ng Pilipinas at ito po ay isang pagyurak sa karapatan ng magingisda maging ating hukbong dagat ng Pilipinas,” said Tolentino.
READ: 2 senators slam depiction of China’s infamous nine-dash line in ‘Barbie’ movie
(We respect the MTRCB, but what I see here is China’s continued encroachment on Philippine waters and this is a violation of the rights of Filipino fishers and our Philippine navy.)
MTRCB, on the other hand, refuted the alleged depiction of China’s infamous nine-dash line, saying that the lines attached to a landmass labelled as Asia in the movie is “not U-shaped” and has “eight dots or dashes” instead of nine.
According to Tolentino, it would’ve been better if the MTRCB heeded the recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs to remove the controversial scene.
The U-shaped “nine-dash line” is used on Chinese maps to illustrate its unilateral claim over vast areas of the South China Sea, including swathes of what Vietnam considers its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions.
“Barbie” is the latest movie to be banned in Vietnam for depicting China’s controversial nine-dash line, which was repudiated in an international arbitration ruling by a court in The Hague in 2016. China refuses to recognize the ruling.
The movie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was originally slated to open in Vietnam on July 21, the same date as in the United States, according to state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.
Aside from Vietnam, other countries, including the Philippines, also have overlapping claims in the territorial waters being claimed by China.
On July 12, 2016, the Philippines won the petition it filed before the arbitral tribunal against China’s all-encompassing claim over territories in the South China Sea, deemed a potential flashpoint in the region because of the giant country’s show of military might. EDV