MTRCB denies ‘It's Showtime's’ appeal on suspension

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has denied the motion of reconsideration filed by the production team of ABS-CBN’s “It’s Showtime” and GMA, days after the noontime show was slapped with a 12-day suspension.

The ruling was released just hours after GMA senior vice president Annette Gozon-Valdes and ABS-CBN COO for Broadcast Cory Vidanes made an appearance on “It’s Showtime’s” Sept. 28 episode, at what appeared to be a joint attempt to show support to the show amid its legal battle.

A copy of the MTRCB statement was received by INQUIRER.net. in which the regulatory body found no merit to the motion for reconsideration filed by the show's producers in connection with its assailed June 25 episode, and sustained its previous finding that its hosts acted "indecently and inappropriately," in the presence of children.

“The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) released a resolution dated 28 September 2023, denying the Motion of Reconsideration (MR) filed by GMA Network Inc. and ABS-CBN Corporation,”  statement read.

“Said MRs sought relief from the Board’s ruling dated 17 August 2023, regarding the July 25, 2023 episode of the live noontime program 'It’s Showtime!' Specifically, during the show’s 'Isip Bata' segment in which hosts Ryan Bang, Vice Ganda, and Ion Perez allegedly acted indecently or inappropriately in the presence of children, which is alleged to have violated Section 3 of Presidential Decree and its Implementing Rules and Regulations,” MTRCB added.

This makes MTRCB’s denial of the show’s motion for reconsideration as final, according to the government agency.

'Big majority'

During its press conference, Atty. Paulino Cases, the chairman of the MTRCB adjudication committee, said the denial of the appeal was reached after a "big majority" of the board members — comprised of educators, businessmen, and lawyers — voted in favor of throwing out "It's Showtime's" motion for reconsideration.

"There are 30 board members — one vice chair, and one chair. and 30 members. So 32 lahat... I would say a big majority (voted for denial of MR), out of 30 board members, 27 voted to deny," he said.

MTRCB chair Lala Sotto-Antonio earlier announced that she inhibited from ruling on the suspension. On Wednesday, she told the Senate during deliberations on the agency's budget that she has decided to recuse herself from participating in the voting on all matters pertaining to noontime shows "in the spirit of transparency and in the spirit of fairness."

Sotto is facing criticism for the agency's ruling, considering that her father, former senator Tito Sotto III, is the host of a rival noontime show, EAT, which just transferred from GMA to TV5. On the other hand, "It's Showtime" is being shown on GMA's GTV channel.

Not child-friendly

Meanwhile, board member Maria Carmen Musngi, representing the education sector, said their concern was for the children who may have watched the episode with or without the guidance of an adult, considering that all live shows and noontime shows have a "Parental Guidance" format.

"When we are making the decision, kasama na rin po yun (effect on children). May effect po kasi yun, especially it's a PG rating show, that's child-friendly supposedly. We have to see the effect of that on children. Take note that children are watching on television, they may not have adults with them," she said.

Subject of the MTRCB's review was a portion of "It's Showtime's" Isip-Bata segment wherein Vice Ganda licked icing off the finger of Ion Perez, his real-life partner and cohost, while in the company of children on the show.

ABS-CBN and GMA have yet to release a statement to the MTRCB's ruling, as of this writing. They have previously insisted that there was "no violation of pertinent law" in the aforementioned episode.

EDV