MTRCB chief may lose post

Nicanor Tiongson may be fired as chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) following a complaint from Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in her weekly press conference yesterday, said "Yes" when asked if she was thinking of firing Tiongson.

Mrs. Arroyo said she had called Tiongson’s attention to Sin’s complaint that the MTRCB had failed to stop the public screening of "bold" films.

Recently, Tiongson came under fire from the Catholic Church after the MTRCB approved the showing of "Live Show," a movie about live sex performers.

The Church criticized the movie as "lewd," and called for stricter classification of films shown in cinemas throughout the country.

The adult-rated "Live Show," directed by Jose Javier Reyes, chairman of the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, is part of a genre of bold films that routinely show partial nudity.

Renato Corona, Mrs. Arroyo’s chief of staff, told reporters the President was supposed to meet with Tiongson yesterday. — Marichu Villanueva