The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has been criticized for interfering with Netflix and other video streaming services. It may be recalled that MTRCB Legal Affairs Division chief Jonathan Presquito said that streaming service platforms such as Netflix and others should be regulated particularly during the lockdown that many people are subscribing to in order to entertain this pandemic. House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said that if the MTRCB wanted their work to be meaningful, it would have thought of how it could help improve the industry because the Asian neighbors are leaving the country.
“So what is the intention to regulate the internet? When the law was enacted since giving power to the MTRCB there was no internet. It cannot be interpreted to cover this medium. The MTRCB approach seems to be wrong in this area. He does not have the power to regulate the internet, ”said lawyer Enrique Dela Cruz. Lawyer and media law expert Marichu Lambino thinks the same,
The professor doubts, MTRCB wants to have more power because most citizens are now watching a video streaming app instead of going to the cinema because of the pandemic. “So he lost his job. He may also lose income, ”said Lambino. Netflix had earlier said they had 16 million new subscribers in the first quarter of 2020, also due to quarantine due to the pandemic where people only stayed in their homes.
The MTRCB should focus on other things than this issue, they should focus on local films and televisions programs