MTRCB chair Lala Sotto tells public: ‘Wag kayong mag-alala, walang favoritism dito’
Lala Sotto. Image: screengrab from YouTube/Ogie Diaz
Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chair Diorella “Lala” Sotto-Antonio addressed comments about her being “biased” and “unfair,” assuring the public that the organization does not have favorites—may they be friends or family members.
Lala spoke about how challenging it is to be the organization’s chairperson while having family members in the showbiz industry, as seen in an interview vlog on Ogie Diaz’s YouTube channel on Friday, Aug. 11.
“Mahirap [at] challenging pero kung gagawin mo naman ‘yung alam mong tama, you will just do it nang walang kahirap-hirap,” she said. “Challenging siya pero alam mo naman na nasa tama ka e. Alam mo sa sarili mo na wala kang ginagawang mali…”
Lala then disclosed that her parents, Helen Gamboa and “E.A.T.” host Tito Sotto, do not meddle with her job and that they let her “prove” herself as a public servant.
“Ang parati nilang sinasabi sa akin is do what is right; do what is fair; do what you think is right sa mata ng Panginoon,” she spoke of her parents’ advice. “Be very fair.”
Lala also talked about accusations that her decisions as MTRCB chair favor her dad Tito, who is part of a noontime show, and underscored that others’ perception of her is no longer her problem.
“Hindi ko na kasi problema kung anong iniisip nila tungkol sa’kin. Basta ako ginagawa ko lang ang trabaho ko bilang Kristiyano, asawa, isang anak, isang ina, at higit sa lahat, isang Filipino citizen na MTRCB chairman,” she told Diaz.
“Sa mga nagsasabi na unfair [ako], hindi patas, biased—hindi maiiwasan yon [dahil] opinyon nila ‘yon e. Pero dito sa MTRCB, wala kaming favorites—kaibigan, kamag-anak,” she stressed. “‘Wag kayong mag-alala, walang favoritism dito. Kung kailangan managot, sila ay pananagutin. Kung may mag-commit ng violations, of course bibigyan sila ng naaayon na penalty sa kanilang mga violation. ”
On parents’ kiss on ‘E.A.T.’, ‘It’s Showtime’ icing issue
Lala reiterated during the interview that the regulatory board sees no violation in her parents’ kiss on “‘E.A.T.,” adding that such action is not indecent.
She also touched on the topic of the “alleged indecent acts” by “It’s Showtime” hosts Vice Ganda and Ion Perez, which prompted the MTRCB to summon the producers of the noontime show.
While Lala said she is prohibited to disclose what has already been discussed by the adjudication committee on the matter, she revealed that the MTRCB has already “dismissed” about eight complaints against “It’s Showtime” in the past. Lala further said that there are “two other pending issues” aside from the icing incident.
Lala then stressed that she has also been fair to “Eat Bulaga” on GMA Network, noting that the show was also given a stern warning recently due to a nip slip incident. Lala added that the show has pending issues under the MTRCB’s adjudication committee and that she “inhibited” herself from taking part in the hearings “in the spirit of fairness.”
Lala and Diaz did not talk about TV host Wally Bayola‘s recent “utterance of profane words” on “E.A.T.,” as the interview appears to have been recorded days prior to the noontime show incident. /ra
