It appears that the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) disregarded the statements made by the parents of the Batang Cutepos (Kulot, Argus, and Jaze) regarding the alleged negative effects of the icing incident during the July 25 episode of “It’s Showtime.”
According to the motion for reconsideration document obtained by LionhearTV, one of the reasons cited by the MTRCB for imposing a 12-day suspension on “It’s Showtime” is the perceived harmful effects of the icing incident on the child performers of the noontime show and its viewers, which involved hosts Vice Ganda and Ion Perez.
The MTRCB contended that Vice and Ion’s act of licking the icing was “suggestive” and could potentially confuse both the children present on the show and those watching on TV, leading to harm. They stated, “The act of ‘licking a cake icing using fingers of the hosts are suggestive and maybe confusing to the audience and the children who are present on site and/or watching in their homes considering that they are learning these acts from adults and would result in harm to these children’.”
However, the parents of the child performers involved, as stated in their submissions attached to “It’s Showtime’s” motion for reconsideration to the MTRCB, did not find any harm in the controversial icing incident during the “Isip Bata” segment.
According to the parents, they perceived no malicious intent in the act, as their children looked up to Vice Ganda and Perez as parental figures.
“The main host, Vice Ganda and Ion Perez have been caring for our son since the start of his career in the show. We claim no harmful effects on our children’s well-being the issue happened on that day,” wrote Michael and Carla Aspiras, parents of Argus.
“Greetings to all of you, as a guardian and mother of Jaze Kyler Capili, I don’t think that the incident regarding the allegedly malicious eating of icing during the airing of the program had a significant effect to my son. My son has no negative thinking about the said incident. It became malicious because the scenes were commented and judged maliciously in thee internet,” Josephing Collantes, mother of Jaze.
Bilang nanay ni Kulot, wa;lang akong nakitang mali sa kanilang ginawa dahil una, hindi ko naman ito pinag-isipan ng mali…Nung kasagsagan ng issue tinanong ko din si Kulot kung sa tingin ba niya na mali ang nangyari at agad niyang sinabi na hindi, na walan siyang nakitang mali,” said Babylyn Caponpon, mother of Kulot.
However, these statements seemed to have been ignored by the MTRCB, which ultimately denied “It’s Showtime’s” motion for reconsideration.
Following the denial, ABS-CBN also decided not to exercise its right to appeal to the Office of the President and instead accepted the 12-day suspension order, which will commence on October 14.
