MTRCB imposes self-regulation on 'It's Showtime' over Pastillas Girl segment

MANILA, Philippines - Movies and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has imposed self-regulation to ABS-CBN noontime show “It’s Showtime.”

This is in connection to the complaint of party-list Gabriela over the show’s segment “Nasaan Ka Mr. Pastillas.”

READ: MTRCB summons ‘It’s Showtime’ over ‘Pastillas Girl’ segment

The three-page letter of MTRCB was addressed to Business Unit Head Reily L. Santiago, producer Fulgencio Folleto, Jt. and the show’s Gender Focal Person Atty. Monalisa Manalo. It was posted in their Twitter account on Wednesday.

MTRCB releases results of GAD conference with "It's Showtime". http://t.co/eDY1oXGzwJ

- MTRCB (@MTRCBgov) October 14, 2015

The board imposed that the show looks after the “dignity” of Angelica Yap, popularly known as Pastillas Girl in her segment.

They suggested that it could be done by “introducing scenes depicting her empowerment as a person while she faces various challenges in her young life.”

The board also imposed “to brief Ms. Yap before any episode considering that she is arguably now a ‘public figure’ and thus may be perceived as a ‘model’ by young women; this will ensure words and actions appropriate to the ‘PG’ rating of the program.”

It also acknowledged the show’s effort to provide Angelica a life coach “to mold her character positively and enable her to plan her life with care and informed choices, to the end that she will hopefully be able to avoid the earlier pitfalls she experienced.”

Aside from the said segment, the board also reminded the show about the “dressing” and “movement” of some participants and members of the show that some viewers “deemed as inappropriate.”

“It's Showtime” executives then assured the board that the clothes of the participants will undergo “three-tiered process review,” and that they’ll require “prior rehearsal by any performer for review and approval by program executives, to the end that the number does not violate any norm of gender-sensitivity or other rule.”

MTRCB reminded the show’s executives about “the need for constant and unwavering vigilance in regard to the depiction and portrayal of women in your program. You will necessarily have to sharpen the saw, so to speak, in regard to both gender-sensitive orientation as well as action.”