MTRCB summons ‘It’s Showtime’ over alleged “indecent acts”

The board has called a hearing today, July 31.

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) on Monday issued a press release. According to the agency, they are calling the attention of the production behind ABS-CBN’s noontime variety show ‘It’s Showtime’. This, as they received complaints over a particular scene during the program’s July 25 episode. Here is the MTRCB’s complete statement on the matter.

PRESS RELEASE

MTRCB: It’s Showtime called to testify on 31 July 2023

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) issued a Notice to Appear and Testify to the Producers of the noontime variety show “It’s Showtime” over complaints concerning scenes that portrayed alleged indecent acts by hosts Vice Ganda and Ion Perez during the variety show’s “Isip Bata” segment which aired last 25 July 2023 on channels GTV and A2Z DZOZ/DZOE 11.

Said scene is in violation of Section 3 (c) Presidential Decree No. 1986. The hearing date is scheduled on 31 July 2023, 10:00 am at the MTRCB Office in Timog Avenue, Quezon City.

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MTRCB: It’s Showtime ipinatawag upang tumestigo sa 31 July 2023

Nag-issue ang Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) ng Notice to Appear at Testify sa Producers ng noontime variety show “It’s Showtime” bunsod ng patong patong na reklamo na natanggap ng Board patungkol sa mga eksena na nagpakita ng diumano’y indecent acts nina Vice Ganda at Ion Perez sa “Isip Bata” segment ng show na ipinalabas noong ika-25 ng Hulyo 2023 sa channels GTV at A2Z DZOZ/DZOE 11.

Ang naturang eksena ay lumalabag sa Section 3 (c) ng Presidential Decree No. 1986. Naka schedule ang paglilitis sa ika-31 ng Hulyo 2023, sa ganap na Alas-diyes ng umaga sa MTRCB Office sa Timog Avenue, Quezon City.

We assure the Public that the MTRCB acts timely on any complaint(s), big or small, without any distinction, raised before it subject to the observance of due process.

From MTRCB’s Facebook page

The said scenario happened during the ‘Isip Bata’ segment, particularly on the first question of the Choose Ko Po round. It was asked “which of the following is more delicious to scrape using your finger?” [originally: “alin sa mga ito ang masarap na simutin gamit ang daliri?”]

As usual, other hosts of the program are designated to act out choices that they are handling. Ion Perez was placed in letter D and carried a cake, as he was given the “cake icing” card.

To this, main host and Perez’s spouse Vice Ganda challenged him to act it out one more time, but as “if in you’re a commercial.” [“yung parang nasa commercial ka.“] Ion obliged, and did it one more time. After which, other hosts teased Vice to do the same. Ion then scooped some icing using his finger, with Vice scraping just some of it using her own finger and ate the icing and made face thereafter. The segment moved on afterwards.

A few days after the episode aired, a certain social media personality named Rendon Labador posted on his page some clips grabbed from the live stream. He encouraged the MTRCB to act on the matter, which he repeatedly raised on his account.

ABS-CBN, the production company behind ‘It’s Showtime,’ GTV’s parent GMA Network, and A2Z owner ZOE Broadcasting Network have all yet to release their statement on the issue.

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