New rules set for children appearing on TV

Manila, Philippines - The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) is set to approve new rules to strengthen protection for children appearing in broadcast media.

Rudolph Jularbal, KBP legal counsel and spokesman, said the new guidelines will be presented to members of the association for approval this month.

The new provisions of its broadcast code came after the controversial dance performance of six-year-old Jan-Jan Suan in TV-5’s “Willing Willie” game show last March 12. The KBP, however, did not cite the incident as its reason for revising the rules.

Jularbal said the proposed rules also included inputs from various industry stakeholders such as the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA). 

He said PANA’s recommendations on program content focused on three critical concerns: exposure to violence, appearance and involvement in situations and activities not appropriate to the child’s age, and the use of offensive language.

“Once the proposed provisions are adopted as part of the KBP Broadcast Code, the self-regulatory process of the KBP will further assure accountability of broadcasters because the Code provides sanctions for violations,” said KBP vice-chairman Butch Canoy. KBP chairman Herman Basbaño said the KBP will hold dialogues and consultations with industry stakeholders and partners to discuss ways of putting the new guidelines into operation at the station level. He said industry stakeholders, including PANA, will be invited to join and give their inputs and recommendations to create a more child-friendly broadcast media.