FILE PHOTO: Lala Sotto | PHOTO: Official facebook page of MTRCB
Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chairperson Diorella “Lala” Sotto-Antonio is undaunted by criticism over the board’s order to suspend “it’s Showtime” for 12 airing days, saying that “bashing is not new” to her.
Sotto made the declaration during a press conference following the decision of the MTRCB to deny ABS-CBN’s Motion of Reconsideration of the agency’s suspension order, as she addressed the issue of conflict of interest owing to her being the daughter of former senator Tito Sotto III, whose own noontime show “EAT” directly competes with “It’s Showtime.”
“I truly believe that me being a Sotto or being my father’s daughter shouldn’t be taken against me. Instead, it should be taken positively since I’m someone who grew up in, loves, and understands the industry,” she said when asked to comment on the backlash she had been receiving since the MTRCB first issued its suspension order.
While maintaining that she chose to “inhibit” from voting on the complaint against “It’s Showtime,” Sotto said she is grateful that she had been prepared by God in dealing with the “whims of detractors,” which made her somewhat immune to bashing.
“I really believe that the Lord prepared me for this because I grew up in public scrutiny. I saw my parents always talked about. I would read about my father, or my titos, and family all the time in the papers,” she said. “Bashing is not new to us, to me. You all know what they’ve said about my father in the past. I thank God I am unbothered.”
Following the MTRCB’s denial of its appeal, ABS-CBN said in a statement that it’s “currently exploring all our remedies and options” as the 12-day suspension is “not yet final and executory.”
Prior to MTRCB’s ruling, the government agency cried foul over “explicit rape and death threats” that Sotto-Antonio received following the noontime show’s suspension order. EDV