Juday, Ryan join MTRCB campaign

RYAN Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos waived their fees for the board’s ad.

In time for its 30th anniversary, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) recruited celebrity couple Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo to join the government agency’s Matalinong Panonood (smart viewing) campaign.

Board Chair Eugenio “Toto” Villareal told the Inquirer that this latest information campaign seeks to involve parents in monitoring their children’s viewing fare.

“Our goal is to empower parents and other responsible adults at home—whether they are aunts, uncles, grandparents or nannies—in choosing children’s viewing fare,” said Villareal.

The board chief said the advertisement was a product of a focus group discussion.

“We wanted to know the parents’ concerns and base the commercial on real-life situations,” said Villareal.

“We based the script on common experiences, on problems parents encounter every day,” said the copywriter, advertising veteran Lilit Reyes.

The board also consulted the Agoncillos, to elicit their insights as parents to two kids, Yohan, 10, and Lucho, 4, said the copywriter.

“TV has such a big influence on the youth,” Santos, who is now two months pregnant, told the Inquirer. “We feel it’s important for parents to be aware of their kids’ viewing habits.”

Difficult questions

In their own home, the Agoncillos limit the kids’ TV watching to one hour a day. “As of now, I don’t encounter major problems because Lucho is only interested in educational shows like ‘Sesame Street,’” she said.

Yohan would sometimes stumble on confusing issues while surfing the Net or watching videos on YouTube. “If the kids’ questions are too difficult, I turn them over to their father,” she said, half in jest.

She recounted a specific incident, when Lucho asked about the gender of a gay character on TV. “My son wanted to know: Was a cross-dressing actor a man or a woman? So I explained to him that she might have a man’s body, but her heart was female,” she related.

In the board’s ad, a child actor, who portrayed the Agoncillos’ daughter, asked about the meaning of the word kabit (mistress), which she had picked up while watching a teleserye.

“This is a common dilemma since love triangles and illicit affairs are popular topics in TV shows and movies,” Reyes said.

“I can relate with the situation presented in the commercial,” Santos said.

She, however, acknowledged that, as a working mom, she cannot always be present to answer her kids’ questions. “That is why it’s important that a grownup is constantly present to watch over the kids,” she said. “You should always talk to your children, too.”

The commercial, which will be shown on television and in cineplexes, was directed by Jose Javier Reyes.

The shoot was a reunion for the couple and the filmmaker who directed them in a series of films, starting with “Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo” in 2006.

“The board wanted the no-acting, natural vibe that ‘Kasal’ had,” the filmmaker told the Inquirer.

The filmmaker felt strongly about participating in the board’s information campaign.

“These days, media practically shapes the minds of the youth,” said the director. “TV plays the role of surrogate parents,” especially in households where one or both parents are working either here or abroad as OFWs.

“Other adults in the family need to take a proactive role if the parents are unavailable,” the director said.

Santos confirmed that she and her husband waived their talent fees for the new TV campaign.

“For the love of country,” she explained her reason for joining the advocacy. “We are all in the same boat. As parents, we share this big responsibility of guiding young people so that they will become good citizens as adults.”

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