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Resignation of MTRCB chief sought
over X-rating of anti-GMA films

The left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday sought the resignation of Ms Marissa Laguardia, chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) for giving X ratings to short films critical of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her administration.

“The MTRCB Chief is guilty beyond reasonable doubt of extra judicial killing in murdering the artist and people’s right to free speech and expression. She has no political, legal and moral right to prevent the public showing of meaningful films,” said Pamalakaya national chairperson Fernando Hicap.

Laguardia said she was standing by the decision of the review committees in disallowing short films “Mendiola”, “ A Day in the Life of Gloria Arroyo” and “ Rights”, a compilation of “public service announcements on human rights, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

“Who is she? What political, moral and legal authority does she have to tell the public what is good and what is bad for them? She’s nothing but a second rate copy cat of Mrs. Arroyo and an apologist of the brutal national security group in Malacañang,” Pamalakaya’s Hicap added.

The Pamalakaya chair said, instead of giving X ratings to these short films, the MTRCB should have encouraged the public to view it and let the people discuss about the merits and demerits of the short films depicting the worst human rights situation across the country.

“Again like the proposed Anti-Subversion Law, this one is another Jurassic step, a major throwback to the days of Martial Law,” Hicap said.

Pamalakaya supported the House Resolution jointly filed by Gabriela party list congresswomen Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan asking for a congressional inquiry into the rating. The militant group said it his high time for Congress to do a major legislative work preventing the MTRCB from massacring the rights of the people to free speech and information.

“If the inquiry finds MTRCB has violated the Bill of Rights of the people as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, then let it be abolished or die like a natural death. This institution has been used as an instrument of repression since the dark days of martial rule. It is time to score a giant kill against this national security oriented office,” the militant group asserted.

On the other hand, Pamalakaya said the move of the MTRCB against these three films will not stop the group from showing it to communities, schools and other venues. “These short films tell the truth, and we should encourage the messengers of truth to come out and do their task in informing the people to make them further aware and awake that this regime has always that criminal business in mind,” the group said. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 08:21 | link | comments |

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