MTRCB suspends ‘It’s Showtime!’ for 12 days
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has suspended noontime program It's Showtime for 12 airing days, the agency announced to media outlets today, Sept. 4.
In a statement, the agency said that the show has received multiple complaints concerning a July 25 episode where the program’s hosts allegedly “acted in an indecent manner” during its "Isip Bata" segment.
In that episode, real-life couple Vice Ganda and Ion Perez were being sweet toward each other, with the latter holding a cake and using his fingers to taste the icing.
Ion can be seen closing his eyes as he slowly licks the icing off his fingers. He then approaches Vice, who takes some of the icing from Ion's fingers with her own before tasting it.
The case was referred to the Board’s Hearing and Adjudication Committee which heard the case and required the respondents to submit their position papers within 15 days since receipt of MTRCB's notice of suspension.
“In accordance with the Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 1986 (MTRCB Charter), the respondents may file one Motion for Reconsideration (MR) within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the decision. Should the Board’s Decision be adverse to the respondent’s MR, they may appeal to the Office of the President within fifteen (15) days from the receipt of the decision on the MR,” the statement read.
This is not the first time that a preventive suspension order was imposed on the noontime show.
The first one was when hosts Jhong Hilario and Vice Ganda made an "inappropriate utterance of the word 'G Spot'" during the show's Jan. 24 episode.
According to the agency, "the Board found the respondents, namely ABS-CBN, ZOE Broadcasting Network, Inc. (ZBNI) and TV 5 Network, Inc., remiss in the performance of their respective functions and duties required under the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of P.D. No. 1986, specifically Section 2 (B) Chapter IV."
The networks were then admonished to "refrain from making any utterances of similar nature" in the future as they may be penalized "more severely."
The other case points to It's Showtime's June 3 episode where host Vhong Navarro mentioned the word "tinggil," which pertains to a sensation felt in a male's reproductive organ.
According to the statement, Navarro's move violates Section 2 (B), Chapter IV of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of P.D. No. 1986.
"Respondents (ABS-CBN and ZBNI) were sternly warned by the Board that a similar utterance will be dealt with more severely" following the incident.
The aforementioned cases are currently pending with MTRCB's Adjudication Committee although the noontime show has duly submitted their MRs.
In addition to these two cases, MTRCB noted that it issued warnings to the show for using the term "Pek Pek Shorts" during its Jan. 9 episode, as well as airing Kim Duenas' "indecent performance" of "Girl on Fire" during its Feb. 14 show.
In 2010, the MTRCB also imposed a 20-day preventive suspension on the variety program which was called Showtime at the time.
Shortly after MTRCB announced its recent suspension of It's Showtime, ABS-CBN released a statement saying that it is filing an MR on the belief that the show did not violate any law, contrary to what the agency is claiming.