It comes after the board first classified the movie unsuitable for public exhibition.
In a statement on Thursday, September 5, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) said that it “has reclassified “Alipato at Muog” with an R-16 rating after a second review by a five-member board committee…”
The five member-group is comprised of Review Committee Chairperson lawyer Maria Gabriela Concepcion, Members lawyer Paulino Cases, Jr., film and TV producer Jo Ann Bañaga, executive and music producer Eloisa Matias, and retired educator Maria Carmen Musngi, the MTRCB disclosed.
“The Committee considered the importance of balancing the interests not only of the constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression with the State’s interest in maintaining public order and integrity,” the statenent continued.
In line with that, the review team had determined that “a more mature viewer is necessary to understand, dissect, and grapple with the serious issues presented in this documentary, without compromising their own faith and confidence in the government.”
Hence, it was decided upon that the X rating previously issued for the ‘Alipato at Muog’ will be reversed and downgraded to the R-16 rating, which only allows the film to be screened for audiences aged 16 and above.
The MTRCB also clarified that while the Board supports academic film showings which serve as an avenue for meaningful fora and film appreciation, “it is to be understood that public exhibition of films in the academe still falls under the jurisdiction of the MTRCB.”
Prior to the issuance of the decision, Burgos, along with several other artists, held a protest in front of the MTRCB office as they seek the reversal of the X-rating given by the board.
However, after it was announced that the X-rating has been rescinded, JL Burgos took to Facebook to express his happiness.
“Tagumpay tayo! Tagumpay ang mamayang lumalaban,” he wrote before thanking the MTRCB review team for “siding with the truth” and those that stood beside him for “freedom of speech and expression.”
The reclassification of the movie comes after the appeal of filmmaker JL Burgos to overturn the earlier board decision, which deemed the movie unsuitable for public exhibition due to its theme that might comprome the public’s faith and confidence in the government.
‘Alipato at Muog’ is about director’s brother Jonas Burgos, who disappeared during the Martial rule after being forcibly taken by state forces and making him a prominent desaparecido or a term given to the people that became missing without a trace during that period.