Movie-TV board chides ABS-CBN’s ‘Correspondents’
Published on Page A2-1 of the July 18, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
AFTER the GMA 7 documentary program “I-Witness,” it’s the turn of ABS-CBN current affairs show “The Correspondents" to be reprimanded by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).
The reproach arose from the program’s June 26 episode entitled, “Ang Pinoy Rasta,” which “featured the actual smoking of marijuana [of a young man] in the presence of his father who, in turn, confessed that he smoked marijuana with his son occasionally.”
In a memorandum dated July 6 and addressed to ABS-CBN and the network’s Current Affairs head Luchi Cruz-Valdez, the board admonished the show because the scenes “seem to project that smoking marijuana is an enjoyable activity … sending a strong message that [it’s] okay.”
Signed by chair Marissa P. Laguardia, the memo pointed out that PD 1986 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) “prohibit the airing/public showing of scenes that tend to abet the use of prohibited drugs.”
The memo required the network’s representatives to appear before the board’s hearing and adjudication committee on July 11.
Charge disputed
During the hearing, network representatives—lawyer Maxim Uy, executive producer Anna Rodriguez, reporter Rose Eclarinal and segment producer Ciara Sembrano—sat down with the MTRCB board of advisers, led by journalist Ed Sicam and lawyer Zosimo Alegre, and chair Laguardia.
According to Laguardia, the station “disputed” the charge, which has led to another hearing set today.
In a phone interview with Inquirer Entertainment, Valdez pointed out that the docu was a look into Rastafarianism—“a growing subculture."
Intrinsic
Valdez explained: “Smoking marijuana is an intrinsic part of the Rasta religion. Tropical Depression vocalist Dominic ‘Papadom’ Gamboa and ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ housemate Errol ‘Budoy’ Marabiles were featured in that episode.”
Since the network was practicing self-regulation, Valdez said, the program producers refrained from showing celebrities, who are considered role models, in the controversial scene. Instead, they opted to feature the unknown Rastafarian and his father.
According to Valdez, the episode in question was aired at 1:20 a.m. and carried the Parental Guidance warning.
The monitoring report filed by the board’s special agents on July 3, however, asserted that “scenes [depicting] the actual use of prohibited drugs are beyond the Parental Guidance classification and [therefore are] not fit for television viewing.”
The board’s IRR states that material classified PG-13 cannot include a “depiction of, or reference to, prohibited drugs or substances and their use.”
The agents emphasized in their report that the board also received complaints from other sources about the episode.
Laguardia told Inquirer that since the network is contesting the complaint, it would have to undergo the usual adjudication process, which begins with today’s hearing.
Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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