MTRCB enlists help of parents

Eugenio “Toto” Villareal. FILE PHOTO

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) Chair Eugenio Villareal reminded parents and teachers of their roles “in the behavior and character development of children” in a recent discussion, “Equity: Accountability of Both Parents and Teachers Toward Matalinong Panonood ng Pamilya,” in Balanga, Bataan.

Speakers for the session, which coincided with the 6th Annual Education Summit for Teachers and PTA Officers, were Rommel Garcia of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and Richard Nollen of “Project Duke.”

Theme of the discussion was “e-Summit: Excellence, Equity and Exchange.”

Villareal talked about the need for parents to control the impact of media on children, citing James Steyer’s “Top Ten Steps for Parents” from his book “The Other Parent: The Inside Story on the Media’s Effect on Our Children.”

The MTRCB chief also discussed ratings and classification of films and TV shows and the basic principles used by the agency in its regulatory function.

According to a report from MTRCB, Garcia’s subject was “Engagement: Responsibility of Parents in Rearing Drug-Free Children,” while Nollen tackled “Parenting in the Eyes of a Child.” Project Duke is a nonprofit organization that helps raise awareness on the needs of out-of-school youths and create activities for them.

Reaching out

To achieve its goal of reaching out to as many viewers as possible, the MTRCB recently visited the offices of film production outfit Viva Entertainment Inc. in Ortigas, Pasig City.

Led by MTRCB Vice Chair Emmanuel H. Borlaza, the agency conducted a seminar for Viva employees and discussed basic MTRCB guidelines and principles in reviewing and classifying films and TV programs.

With Borlaza were board members Jay Revestir, Eric Mallonga and Teresita Villarama, who all emphasized the need for

“responsible monitoring of films and TV shows,” the MTRCB report stated. Most of those who actively participated in the seminar were personnel from Pay-TV production and programming.

The same MTRCB team went to Angeles, Pampanga, to endorse the agency’s “Matalinong Panonood” (MP) campaign to different groups and sectors there. Present were cable operators, who reported that they have been “practicing self-regulation and complying with the MTRCB registration requirement.” The officers and employees of Clark International Airport were likewise present during the seminar.

A forum was conducted at the Holy Angel University. It was attended by some 400 faculty members and students. The teachers said the university has its own classification system, presumably adapted from the MTRCB’s.

The MP campaign encourages viewers to be more active and critical in watching films and TV programs.

Board members Jackie Aquino, Mario Hernando, Francia Conrado and Noel del Prado were in Zamboanga City recently,

also to promote the MP campaign. They took part in a forum organized by the Western Mindanao State University.

The speakers presented “guidelines in the ratings and classification [of audio materials], especially for children who watch shows without their parents or guardians,” the report stated.

The team participated in a similar forum at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University and the Zamboanga City Hall, and conducted inspections of the cinemas at the Mindpro Citimall.

Villareal and board members paid a visit to the studios of broadcast network TV5 in Mandaluyong City, where they were met and toured by head of airtime management department Ramon del Rosario and head of broadcast operations Dan de

Padua. They also met news and public affairs head Luchi Cruz-Valdes, and visited the set of the program “Face the People.”

Villareal and his team had lunch with TV5 president and CEO Noel Lorenzana, with whom Villareal discussed the “demystified” version of the MTRCB’s ratings and classification functions.

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