Vice Ganda and Ion Perez. Image: Instagram/@praybeytbenjamin
“It’s Showtime” was called to testify by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) after it received complaints about “concerning scenes” showing alleged indecent acts by hosts Vice Ganda and Ion Perez.
MTRCB, chaired by Diorella “Lala” Sotto-Antonio, released a “Notice to Appear and Testify” to the noontime show’s producers on Monday, July 31, citing the celebrity couple’s gestures during its “Isip Bata” segment during its episode last Tuesday, July 25.
“Said scene is in violation of Section 3 (c) Presidential Decree No. 1986. The hearing date is scheduled on 31 July 2023, 10:00 am at the MTRCB Office in Timog Avenue, Quezon City,” the MTRCB said.
In the assailed segment, Vice Ganda and Perez were supposedly sharing a tender moment, where the comedian licked the icing off the cake offered by his partner using his own finger. A clip of the couple was showed in a video uploaded on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel.
With a big smile, the “Praybeyt Benjamin” star responded to his gesture by scooping the icing from Perez’s finger before putting it in his mouth.
The couple’s interaction caught the attention of internet personality Rendon Labador, who pointed out that their moment was “out of line.”
“Wala namang masama na magbaklaan kayo, pero sana ilugar ninyo ang kahayupan! Huwag sa show ng mga bata… May MTRCB pa ba? Nag-eexist pa ba sila? Galaw galaw mga boss (There’s nothing wrong with being sweet on the air, but please know the right place for your debauchery. Don’t do this in a kid’s show. Does MTRCB still exist? It’s time to move),” he said in the comments of ABS-CBN Entertainment’s video.
“It’s Showtime’s” producers and ABS-CBN have yet to issue a statement, as of this writing.
However, last June 26, Vice Ganda posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, about a certain somebody who would choose to become toxic just to stay relevant.
Kung anu ano na talaga ang pinapasok at ginagawa ng ilang tao para lang sumikat no? Yung kahit magpakatoxic kakaririn nila basta makaamot lang ng relevance. How pathetic! Ang sad! It’s not mothering!
— jose marie viceral (@vicegandako) July 26, 2023
While Vice Ganda did not name who he was referring to, it was widely speculated to be Labador because of the latter’s caustic remarks the day before. EDV