Recently, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) went under fire for calling to regulate video content on movie streaming platforms like Netflix and iFlix, with the board’s legal affairs division chief Atty. Jonathan Presquito noting the move as urgent since many people are turning to these sites as a way to “keep their sanity intact” during quarantine. Many lawmakers spoke up against the move, with House Speaker Alan Cayetano calling it “mind-boggling” and “ridiculous.”
Last Friday, “MTRCB chairperson Rachel Arenas emphasized the board’s role in preserving, enriching, and promoting Filipino cultural values, customs, and traditions to strengthen national identity,” writes the official government release.
Specifics about how this will be done or what these mean exactly haven’t been reported yet.
Netflix, iFlix, and other streaming services have always been a safe haven or a place to stimulate our minds. When these regulations are put in place, who knows how accessible Netflix will be? The platform has already been seen editing its content to bypass the censors of countries like Turkey. This begs me to wonder: Would our favorite TV shows like “Stranger Things” or “Crash Landing On You” still be available to watch in their current form with the regulations?
Until it happens, I’ll be streaming all my favorites.
Photo courtesy of Jade87 from Pixabay
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