Be more child-friendly, Lapus urges broadcasters, advertisers

MANILA, Philippines - Education Secretary Jesli Lapus issued a call to the country’s television broadcasters as well as advertisers to be more “child-friendly” in coming out with shows and advertisements to be watched by impressionable children and teenagers.

Lapus issued the appeal as he addressed officials and members of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) and the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA) whom he both commended for coming together with the National Council for Children’s Television (NCCT) for an undertaking to screen TV of content harmful to children.

“Our television programs must increasingly become reliable resources for learning among our children, and not a source of negative influence,” Lapus said during the signing of an agreement between the NCCT, KBP and PANA at the Asian Institute of Management campus in Makati City recently.

NCCT, KBP and PANA agreed to pool their resources in a bid to monitor and handle complaints against “undesirable” TV programs and commercials that are harmful to children.  

He added that KBP and PANA will play a major role in protecting children from TV shows and commercials that show excessive sex, violence and other viewing fares unfit for minors.

We welcome this partnership that promotes positive TV programming putting premium on educational and responsible entertainment content for our children,” Lapus stressed.

During the signing of the agreement, representatives from major television networks were also present to discuss Republic Act 8370, otherwise known as the Children’s Television Act.

Through the KBP and PANA, concerned TV stations and advertising agencies will have a venue for “constructive dialogue” about formulating protective measures for TV such as the Violence Rating Code and Children’s Block Time programming or “C” Time.

Jonathan Malaya, Dep-Ed assistant secretary and NCCT head, called on TV networks, advertisers and child-focused NGOs to work together so that TV programming contribute to the shaping of positive values, culture, and behavior among Filipino children.

Participants in the dialogue included key KBP and PANA officials, TV network heads and head writers of TV stations such as ABS-CBN, GMA7 and TV5.