When I was an undergrad in 1988, a student organization at the University of the Philippines (UP) whose name escapes me, sponsored a screening at the then UP Film Centre of what could be the most boring film in human history, Scorsese’s “Last Temptation of Christ”. If I am not mistaken, then MTRCB chair Manoling Morato slapped an X rating on the film, making it “unfit” for public exhibition. Morato cited nudity as the reason. Well there was nudity and breast exposure in the film. It was so boring that the only piece of exposed human anatomy I remember is the butt of the actress playing Mary Magdalene!
The question then and now was whether the Film Centre (Now known as Film Institute (FI)) is subject to the jurisdiction of the MTRCB. It is said that Manoling rushed to the Film Centre on a “decoy” piece of information, only to realise that the movie was shown the day before! And this may be the stuff of a campus urban legend, there was a poster on the door reading
“Welcome to the Manoling Morato Memorial Film Center”. This joke appeared in the Collegian issue of that memorable week.
The question is “Does the University have the absolute right to show anything inside campus as long as it is part of its academic function?”
The question has more weight in twenty one years later. The University of the Philippines has a new charter that strengthens its academic freedom rights as guaranteed in the Constitution. This issue of jurisdiction comes to light as reported in the blurbs since MTRCB Chair Marissa Laguardia recently wrote a complaint letter to UP President Emerlinda Roman about UPFI showing “that have no corresponding permits”
Laguardia also says that some of these movies are “unfit for public exhibition”
Films with touchy subjects have been shown at UP for ages. (It is a sort of freshie initiation to the delights of liberal education to see one) Some of the films have sex and nudity (ho hummmmm, zzzzzzzzzzz!) and the MTRCB since Manoling have not been perturbed. But according to UP insiders what sparked the recent brouhahaha is that alleged “gay porn” had been screened. A showbiz columnist brought this issue out in a tabloid and the MTRCB took notice. Methinks the MTRCB reads these tabloids.
Now it is in the broadsheets. Laguardia contends that the MTRCB law doesn’t exempt UP from its jurisdiction. She also claims that the films were being shown commercially since tickets are sold for the screenings and these cost up to 250 pesos each! (This is a riot! Sitting on the seats at the UPFI may require you to consult a chiropractor after the movie!)
Now the issue at hand is what constitutes commerical exhibition. Obviously their should be a charge to sit on the unergonomic seating at the UPFI since screening a movie and turning on the aircon costs money.
UP Veep for Legal Affairs Ted Te (once a classmate of mine in a Psych course) says that UPFI is part of the academic and educational purposes of the University an covered by academic freedom guaranteed not only by RA 9500, but also by the Constitution.
Before we bring out the “C” word, (that’s censorship) UP has to look into the issue of charging students for tickets, especially if the tickets are expensive. Students will have to view some of the films shown as requirements for some social science and humanities courses. I am not against charging for admission as long as this is affordable to students.
And probably we have to look at this “gay porn” issue and why we have this double standard even in supposedly liberal and academically free UP. “Porn” has been shown at UP for ages and nobody gave a damn. Now we have the word “gay” to modify “porn” and all hell breaks loose. Now what would Ms. BB Gandanghari make of that?
Popularity: 3% [?]
Marissa Laguardia can get her pogi-points any which way she wants, but unless she brings in legal papers, then UP-diliman has better issues to worry about (… like, say, 2010???).
Technology has made moot the enforcement of the problem. Just wheel in a 42- or 58-inch Plasma TV into a classroom, bring in a DVD player and an unrated-DVD (bought in USA or Paris), and voila…. you have yourself a show.
If Sen. Nene Pimentel discovers this again, he will try to throw the book again.
Look, MTRCB is like our media practitioners. They cannot tell the difference between smut and art.
Period.
Next thread please.
Beauty is on the eye of the beholder. Pornography
or Art is also on the eye of the beholder. You
can undress a woman from your thoughts.
It is what you are thinking that matters.
Question is why do we even have an MTRCB?
MTRCB gives free pass IDs to government officials and VIPs so they can watch movies for free with at least one other companion.
That is also the reason why tickets are expensive these days.
And that lady Chairman does not know her job thus we just waste taxpayer’s money in her continued stay in office.
I find it quite hypocritical that the gay movie scribe for a cheap tabloid would bring this issue to the MTRCB. The gay film gurus and academics don’t even take this gay seriously. That’s what my gay friends at UP tell me.
But I don’t think it is a censorship issue. Laguardia knows that she is standing on weak legal ground if she brings that issue on board. What she is pointing out is the ticket selling issue. She has a point here and UP has to look into the issue since showing films with outrageous ticket prices may not be purely academic in nature.
imho, if it is a one-time-screening – or if it is a one-day-only-view-anytime limited to UP students -it is not “commercial”.
On the matter of “outrageous” ticket prices, the price of renting the film has to be recovered, given a limited viewership, thus higher prices will be levied due to the scarce number of viewers.
The law of supply and demand will have a better chance, at curtailing viewers, than any MTRCB regulation.
i also think its not a censorship issue. the mrtcb is a ratings board. what that means is that if a movie has purient scenes, then viewership ought to be restricted.
Viewed differently, UP might play MTRCB by classifying UP studentry as an all adult viewership and therefore, all kinds of porn may be allowed.
I doubt if the PI will allow porn to be distributed the way it is distributed in the US adult bookstores – from the magazine racks in gasoline stations to the streets of Times Square.
The Catholic Womens League and its legions of prudes will be trampling on your right to view or not to view porn faster than you can say “freedom of expression”.
Bong,
It is happening now, any young kid can just buy these magazines from the counter. My little son just did and no questions asked like if he were 18 when he is just 12.
What Catholic Women’s League? What does that group do?
Karl:
Adult materials are easily accessible to adults here.
However, there’s a law here that verifies age by asking for a driver’s license – no license no sale of liquor, cigarettes, and adult material. Stores that violate this law are also penalized and if needed closed for good.
Moreover, adults who buy adult stuff for kids land in jail.
Catholic Women’s League or CWL is a laity group which is an auxiliary arm of the catholic church – http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Catholic_Women%27s_League_Philippines%2C_Inc..
This group is made up of the old school hardcore manangs who do novenas, say the rosary, observes the angelus, and will gladly picket in front of establishments which they think are purveying “obscene” material.
Karlpopper
Unfortunately we have students who enter UP as 15 yr olds. They aren’t legal yet.
Bong
I presume you are a citizen or a resident of the 13 American Colonies that b. It’s not PI dude but RP, Republic of the Philippines. PI is a colonial tag like 13 American Colonies.
blackshama,
Indeed, many enter UP at 15 and not few as well leave it at 17 since they can the finish course earlier than the 4-year schedule.
The honors program allows a young student to graduate masteral at about the same age, almost 18. Technically, the age requirement set by MTRCB has no scientific basis – kaput.
For that matter, UP has its own share of obscenity. You can also call the Faculty Center as the F— Center that most call it, who cares.
Not few cases where teachers marry their students and students love their teachers, either way.
Still the best kind of learning is that without borders.
@Blackshama:
Whether it is PI or RP, the name “Philippines” itself is a colonial tag.
Dude, the Philippines is the name given to the islands by the Spanish in 1542 in honor of King Philip II of Spain – a tyrant, and a racial and religious bigot.
RP, not PI