On February 25, director Bobby Bonifacio voiced his thoughts on the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board’s (MTRCB) censorship of streaming platforms.
At the digital media conference for Salamat Daks, Bonifacio hoped that MTRCB would focus on content classification rather than censorship.
“Ako ang opinion ko pagdating sa streaming, dahil mayroon namang ways to actually safeguard or to– mayroon mga paraan para piliin kung sino nakaka-access ng streaming platform. Sana kung papasok ang MTRCB, more on classification more than censorship.”
Earlier, COO and president of Viva Films Vincent del Rosario noted their company’s stand regarding MTRCB’s initiative about responsible viewing on their streaming platform, Vivamax.
“Siyempre, napro-promote, nagkakaroon ng presscon, siyempre like si, halimbawa si Lee Byung-hun, hindi naman siya magpro-promote ng movie niya sa Vivamax. So I think ‘yun eh. We’ve been working closely with our friends, MTRCB.
“Very cooperative sa responsableng panonood, di ba? It’s a campaign of the Chairman, so we’re okay. I think Viva Prime addresses some of these concerns. ‘Yung parental controls within the app, malinaw ‘yun. Si Direk Paul is coming up with an advocacy–on ‘yun, responsible viewing.”
Del Rosario also noted that their app features parental control, which could help users protect younger viewers.
“I think we have the best in-app parental controls no, actually ‘yung parental control includes parents themselves, even if you’re an adult, you come in the app, medyo risque ‘yung movie, let’s say too violent, hihingan ka pa rin ng PIN eh. Kaya hindi kailangan minor or kids, so ‘yun.”
The film Salamat Daks stars Alma Moreno, Nikko Natividad, Ayanna Misola, Andrew Muhlach, Debbie Garcia, Millen Galang, Shiena Yu, Giselle Sanchez, Marissa Sanchez, Marissa Delgado, and Bob Jbeili.
Bonifacio directed the film and will stream on the Vivamax platform starting March 10.