MTRCB Suspends Showtime; ABS-CBN Issued Official Statement

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has announced that the ABS-CBN noontime program It’s Showtime would be suspended for 12 days. According to a statement issued by the MTRCB on Monday (September 4) afternoon, the show has previously received many complaints on an episode in which the program’s hosts allegedly “acted in an indecent manner” during one of its parts, Isip Bata.

“In accordance with the Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 1986 (MTRCB Charter), the respondents may file one Motion for Reconsideration (MR) within fifteen days after receipt of the decision. Should the Board’s Decision be adverse to the respondent’s MR, they may appeal to the Office of the President within fifteen days from the receipt of the decision on the MR,” the statement read.

The Board has also issued two additional warnings to the noontime show concerning other incidents.

In the first case, the “inappropriate utterance of the word ‘G Spot’ by hosts Jhong Hilario and Vice Ganda” during its episode last January 24 was said to have “violated Section 2 (B), Chapter IV of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of P.D. No. 1986.”

The Board also found the respondents, namely ABS-CBN, ZOE Broadcasting Network, Inc. (ZBNI) and TV5 Network, Inc., “remiss in the performance of their respective functions and duties required under the Implementing Rules and Regulations of P.D. No. 1986, specifically Section 2 (B) Chapter IV,” and were “admonished to refrain from making any utterances of similar nature for the same will be dealt more severely.”

In another case, the mention of the word “Tinggil” by host Vhong Navarro on its episode last June 3 was said to be in “violation of Section 2 (B), Chapter IV of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of P.D. No. 1986.”

ABS-CBN issued statement regarding the suspension.