LATEST NEWS ON LOCAL TV: ANOTHER SUSPENSION FOR SHOWTIME'S REPLACEMENT, MAGPASIKAT!

MANILA, Philippines – “Magpasikat,” an ABS-CBN talent show that temporarily replaced “Showtime,” is also in danger of being suspended.

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) insisted on Thursday that “Magpasikat” and “Showtime” “are one and the same show,” thus, the replacement should also go off the air.

The MTRCB made this statement during its preliminary hearing on the remarks made by Rosanna Roces on “Showtime” that resulted in the 20-day suspension of the show.

“‘Yong suspension ng ‘Showtime Live’ ay i-extend doon sa ‘Magpasikat Live’ because they’re one and the same, ” said lawyer Jonathan Presquito, MTRCB’s legal counsel.

Before the suspension order can be issued, however, the hearing committee quickly clarified that this will still be investigated.

“We will see. Aalamin pa ng committee kung totoo nga,” said lawyer Paulino Cases Jr., head of the hearing committee.

Nonetheless, the statement of the MTRCB has caught the Kapamilya network by surprise.

“The MTRCB says that supposing the hearing is on a certain subject and suddenly we are surprised that the prosecution brings up an all together different subject,” lawyer Miguel Silos, ABS-CBN’s legal counsel, said.

During the preliminary hearing, the committee was initially scheduled to investigate Roces’ remarks that were directed at Vice Ganda in “Showtime’s” January 4 episode. But the MTRCB also brought up Roces’ January 7 controversial remarks that have been criticized by many as insults to school teachers.

The Kapamilya network lamented that the MTRCB kept issuing orders without due process.

ABS-CBN lawyer Maxim Uy added: "Ang basehan nitong mosyon ng MTRCB ay ang sabi nila dahil pareho daw ang mga hosts at bukod din doon pareho ang mga production staff. Siguro naman ho alam natin na hindi dahil pareho ang mga host at pareho ang production staff, ang ibig sabihin ay pareho na ang programa."

ABS-CBN Corporate Communications head Bong Osorio also complained that the board seemed to be targeting ABS-CBN shows being aired on the noontime slot.