| IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS |
IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS
Pursuant to Section 3 (a) of Presidential Decree No. 1986,
the Movie and Television Review and Classification BOARD (MTRCB),
hereafter referred to as the BOARD, hereby enacts and promulgates
the following Rules and Regulations as guidelines.
Chapter I
DEFINITION OF TERMS
As used in the Rules and Regulations, the following terms
shall mean:
(a) BOARD – The Movie and Television Review and Classification
Board (MTRCB) created under Presidential Decree No. 1986.
(b) MOTION PICTURE – A series of pictures projected
on a screen in rapid succession so as to produce the optical
effect of a continuous picture in which the objects move
whether the picture is in black and white or in color, silent
or with accompanying sound, on whatever medium, with whatever
mechanism or equipment they are projected for instant showing.
(c) TELEVISION BROADCAST – A public showing of images
(video) and sounds (audio) via free television whether
on Very High Frequency (VHF), or Ultra High Frequency (UHF),
to include cable television and other limited
audience distribution.
(d) THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION – A public exhibition
of motion pictures in theaters, moviehouses, or other places
imposing admission fees.
(e) PUBLICITY MATERIALS and/or Promotional Materials –
Any material used to generate public interest in a motion
picture or television program such as television commercials,
movie and television trailers, print advertisements, still
photos, photo frames, leaflets, posters and billboards and
other related media.
(f)LIVE TV SHOW – A television program telecast
at the same time that it is being performed.
(g)TAPED TV SHOW – A television program recorded
before it is telecast.
(h)GENERAL VIEWING – Refers to motion pictures made
available to the general public for viewing whether through
theaters, film libraries or such similar organizations.
(i) REVIEW – The process of previewing motion pictures,
television programs and related publicity materials to determine
whether, based on the standards set by law, these are fit
for importation, exportation, production, copying, distribution,
sale, lease, and exhibition in theater or non-theatrical distribution
networks; and to determine the material’s classification.
(j) NEWS – Refers to straight and objective news
reporting as distinguished from news analyses, commentaries,
opinions and editorials.
(k)NEWS ANALYSES, COMMENTARIES, OPINIONS and EDITORIALS –
Refer to views which are SUBJECTIVE in nature, whether these
are of the speaker’s and/or the network’s.
(l) NON-THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION – A public showing
of full-length or short-feature motion pictures through
the use of mobile or non-mobile projection equipment for
which no admission fee is charged. This includes showing
of full-length and short-feature motion pictures exclusively
to civic organizations, societies, clubs and other similar
groups, including juvenile, educational, documentary, cultural,
scientific, journalistic, industrial, sales, public relations
and instructional films.
Chapter II
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
SECTION 1. – The BOARD shall review and classify motion
pictures, television programs and related promotion materials
and commercials for TV and cinema, applying as a general standard
contemporary Filipino cultural values.
SECTION 2. – No motion picture, television program,
or promotional material intended for such exhibition shall
be disapproved by reason of its topic, theme or subject matter,
subject to Article 201, “Offenses Against Decency
and Good Customs” of the Revised Penal Code.
SECTION 3. – The classification shall be based on the
treatment of theme, violence, language, nudity, sex, horror,
illegal drugs and other similar elements. In making
the evaluation, the BOARD shall not look at pieces of film,
television, and related promotional materials in isolation,
but shall consider the submitted material in its entirety.
SECTION 4. – The BOARD is fully aware of the State’s
concern in molding and reinforcing the moral character of
the people as well as protecting the artist’s freedom
of expression. The BOARD’s obligation therefore
as mandated by law is to safeguard these values without negating
the vital roles and services that the motion picture and television
industries render to the community as important components
in building the national economy.
SECTION 5. – The review and classification system rests
on the doctrine of PARENS PATRIAE as well as the natural right
of parents in rearing their children under the Constitution.
The BOARD recognizes the fundamental role of parents in their
children’s choice of motion picture or television
program, and thereby helps them decide what they
will allow their children to watch.
SECTION 6. – The BOARD is a regulatory body which must
not only function in terms of reviewing and classifying films
or television programs brought before it but must also
initiate plans and cooperate with the industry to improve,
upgrade and make it viable as an important component
of the national economy.
Chapter III
SCOPE OF AUTHORITY
All motion pictures, television programs and commercials
intended for public exhibition in theaters and television,
and related publicity materials and/or promotional materials,
whether imported or produced in the Philippines, for the purpose
of local viewing or for export, shall be subject to
review and classification by the BOARD before they are exported,
copied, distributed, sold, leased and exhibited.
| IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS |
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Chapter 1