Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon is against the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board’s (MTRCB) proposal to regulate video streaming content.

“I am opposed to it. Instead of regulating Netflix and other streaming platforms, MTRCB should continue to allow them and other media to self-regulate content,” he said in a statement.

Drilon called the proposed regulation “very impractical.”

“There are thousands of shows on Netflix alone – how will MTRCB review each one? Can the MTRCB review every single content that can be accessed through the internet? What will they do about virtual private networks (VPN) that allow users to access content from other countries? If they insist on it, then taxpayers will be paying MTRCB only to stream movies and shows 24/7,” he said.

During a Senate trade committee hearing on Thursday, Sept. 3, MTRCB legal chief Jonathan Presquito asked senators to authorize it to impose regulatory policies.

“There is a necessity for us to proceed with the regulation, especially during the lockdown. Most of us ang nag-maintain ng sanity po natin ‘yung mga streaming services eh. Netflix, Iflix, lahat ng mga movies na nakikita natin but all of those movies Mr. Chair, unrated po ‘yun,” he said.

“Streaming services, like Netflix, are video on demand platforms and we have to regulate those platforms. We have to ensure that those materials being shown on those platforms are compliant with the MTRCB law,” Presquito added.

According to Drilon, self-regulation mechanisms of video streaming outfits are perhaps, more effective than the MTRCB regulation or classification system for television.

The senator noted that Netflix ratings are “very specific,” and that upon subscription, parents can control the content that their children can view. This feature is not available on free TV, he added. 

“If the platform is able to effectively self-regulate and has installed features through which access, particularly by certain age groups, can be limited, then there is no role left for the MTRCB to play,” Drilon said.

He urged the MTRCB to “focus its efforts on being an instrument to improve the quality of content being produced, instead of being a tool for censorship.”

“I’d like to believe that the industry today has achieved the maturity that PD 1986 sought to see. They can ably self-regulate their content,” he said.IMT