JL Burgos, director of the independent documentary “Alipato at Muog,” has vowed to appeal the decision of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to ban the film from public exhibition, calling it an act of censorship.
The documentary tells the story of Jonas Burgos, an activist and the director’s older brother who was forcibly disappeared by members of the military in 2007.
MTRCB gave the film an X rating, which effectively prohibits screenings in commercial establishments. The reviewing body justified the classification, saying the film undermines the “faith and confidence of the people in their government.”
But the board has an agreement in place with the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, allowing films to rate themselves during the festival run. “Alipato at Muog” premiered at Cinemalaya with a PG rating.
Films rated PG generally contain themes requiring parental supervision, mild language, and minimal depictions of violence and sex. Meanwhile, a film will receive an X rating if the board deems it sexually gratuitous, offensive, politically subversive, libelous, or in contempt of court.
“Ang tingin ko, ang ginawa nilang X rating ay para pigilan ipalabas ang pelikula, at ang mas malalim pa diyan, ay para itago ang katotohanan na ang pagdukot ay ginagawa ng estado,” Burgos said in an interview with the Collegian.
Burgos and executive producer Mona Nieva filed a letter of appeal to the MTRCB on August 27, which disputed the claims given by the three board members who reviewed the film. The film was reviewed by Fernando Prieto, Glenn Patricio, and Jose Alberto.
“Sabi ng mga nag-review sa amin, subversive ang pelikula. Tinanong namin, ‘What specific scenes?’ Sabi niya, napakarami,” Burgos said. “[Pero] sa batas natin ay walang anti-subversion law. So hindi krimen ang ‘subversive.’”
Reviewers argued that the Jonas Burgos case is still ongoing, citing a clause that bans materials that are in contempt of court, which the director disputed. Though Jonas Burgos remains missing to this day, the Supreme Court ruled in a 2010 decision that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police failed to conduct a thorough investigation, and a Regional Trial Court ruling finalized the case in 2017.
Military officials have been pushing back on the film’s content, with National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya calling the film a rehash of old accusations. MTRCB also asked for a disclaimer to be added to a scene featuring a military official who said that the military was “trained to kill.”
Reviewers also said that retired General Eduardo Año, who features prominently in the film and currently sits as national security adviser, should have been given a chance to defend himself from the film’s allegations. But Burgos argued that reviewers should not fear retaliation from General Año because of one documentary.
They also asked for the court rulings to be included and any material not presented in court to be excluded for the sake of fairness. They described the film as too leftist, which is supposedly against their mandate, a note that Burgos strongly opposed.
“Ang nais ko lang puntuhin ay nangingialam sila sa content ng kung ano sa pelikula. So sa batas, bawal din. Paninindigan namin,” Burgos asserted.
A second review is now scheduled for tomorrow, where an appeals committee of five reviewers appointed by the Office of the President will watch the film again and reclassify it. If the appeal is unsuccessful, Burgos said that he and his team will take the matter to court.
MTRCB was reorganized into its current form in 1985, where it was given the power to not only classify but also censor films and television programs, as well as ban politically “subversive” materials. Despite the fact that freedom of expression is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, that power has remained to the present day.
“Lumalabas na parang out of place siya in a duly constituted democracy like ours,” Nonoy Lauzon, cinema programmer for the UP Film Institute, told the Collegian.
Even though “Alipato at Muog” was not allowed to run in commercial theaters, it continued to screen at the institute’s film center until the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30. Lauzon explained that the Film Center has the ability to decide which films they will show, allowing it to operate outside of the MTRCB’s jurisdiction.
Apart from “Alipato at Muog,” other documentaries in this year’s Cinemalaya cycle, such as “Lost Sabungeros” and “Asog” saw their screenings blocked during their respective festival runs. But despite rising tensions from this recent trend, Burgos called on his fellow filmmakers to continue fighting for their stories.
“Wag kayong matakot, dapat kayong manindigan. Hindi naman mali lumaban. May mali, kaya lumalaban. Kaya dapat manindigan sila at maraming story ang nangakailangan ng boses nila,” he said. ●
