Filmmakers and creatives across the country are sounding the alarm over what they call a dangerous bill that threatens to stifle freedoms.
Senate Bill No. 2805, recently passed on third and final reading in the Senate on June 2, 2025, seeks to expand the authority of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to cover content on online streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and other digital services. This measure is also referred to as the MTRCB Act.
The bill is principally sponsored by Senator Robin Padilla, chair of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media. According to Padilla, the goal is to protect Filipino viewers, especially children, from “inappropriate and exploitative content” that is widely accessible online but currently unregulated under Philippine law. The proposed law will require streaming platforms to submit content classification lists to the MTRCB and will give the agency the power to order the reclassification or removal of content it deems harmful. The measure also grants MTRCB top officials higher financial ranks, equivalent to that of an undersecretary.
The MTRCB, led by Chairperson Lala Sotto-Antonio, said the agency will continue to defer to Congress and will enforce the law if passed. In recent interviews, Sotto-Antonio said the bill is not meant to curtail creativity but to ensure that content harmful to minors does not go unchecked in the digital space. She further emphasized that the MTRCB will not implement prior restraint or pre-broadcast censorship but will instead conduct post-broadcast monitoring and classification.
Despite these assurances, strong opposition has emerged from a broad coalition of artists, directors, screenwriters, and industry stakeholders. The Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, Inc. (DGPI) has described the bill as draconian and a “cash cow,” warning that it could give the MTRCB unchecked censorship powers and revive obsolete rating systems, such as the “X” classification, which can effectively ban films.
The League of Filipino Actors (Aktor PH) echoed these sentiments and urged legislators to halt the passage of the bill and engage in wider consultations with content creators.
Other institutions such as the Filipino Screenwriters Guild, the Concerned Artists of the Philippines, the UP Film Institute, and other groups have also spoken out against the bill, claiming it may lead to arbitrary censorship and stifle artistic freedom.
