Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chairman Diorella “Lala” Sotto-Antonio has addressed accusations of unfair treatment in the wake of the board’s decision to suspend the noontime show ‘It’s Showtime.’
Lala, who is the daughter of former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, a host of the rival noontime show ‘E.A.T.,’ emphasized that the suspension is not yet final. The MTRCB has given ‘It’s Showtime’ the opportunity to file a motion for reconsideration.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GMA News reporter Nelson Canlas for ’24 Oras’ on September 5, Lala stated, “With others, pwede naman na-suspend na kanina pa lang, but no—again, in the spirit of fairness—we are giving them the chance kaya hindi sila suspended today. We will wait for its finality.”
Lala also addressed comments from netizens who accused the MTRCB of singling out ‘It’s Showtime.’ When asked by Canlas if they were unfairly targeting the show, she replied, “No, that is not true. Siguro natural lang naman sa mga supporters ang maging gano’n ang pakiramdam kasi siguro naririnig nila na parating nare-report.”
“But, hindi po kasalanan ng MTRCB ang violations na ginagawa nila,” she emphasized.
The MTRCB’s decision to suspend ABS-CBN’s ‘It’s Showtime’ for 12 airing days came in response to alleged “indecent acts” involving show hosts Vice Ganda and Ion Perez. In a separate statement, the regulatory board clarified that Lala inhibited herself from voting on the suspension of the Kapamilya show to ensure that board members could “exercise their independent judgment.”
ABS-CBN has announced its intention to file a motion for reconsideration, maintaining that “there was no violation of pertinent law.”
