Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Senate has recently approved the final reading for a bill that will strengthen the regulatory powers of the country’s media review body, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), to now also include online streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+.
Said bill, filed as Senate Bill No. 2805 or the MTRCB Act, has been pushed by Senator Robinhood C. Padilla, stressing the importance of maintaining Filipino standards of decency and morality in the digital space, especially for younger audiences.
He also pointed out that while some Asian content aligns with local values, Western-influenced material often needs closer scrutiny.
Moreover, the proposed bill defines “on-demand streaming services” as platforms offering internet-based video content for streaming or offline viewing. It requires paid services to submit content lists for classification, with the MTRCB allowed to order reclassifications if needed.
It is worth noting that only Senator Risa Hontiveros voted “no” for the final reading of this bill, stating that the bill grants the MTRCB overly broad powers to censor even speech protected by the 1987 Constitution, and even material not meant for theatrical distribution.
“We can be specific about the materials we should protect people from — media that, by their mere showing, constitute violations of law,” Senator Hontiveros said, citing specific laws including RA 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act; RA 11930 or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act, and RA 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 as specific laws the MTRCB must look into to protect Filipino consumers from content found to be violating of these laws.
It is worth noting that this update follows the recent implementation of a 12% value-added tax (VAT) on foreign digital services providers (DSPs) including streaming platforms and other online services.
