Movie and Television Review and Classification Board
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The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is responsible for the classification and review of television programs and motion pictures. The MTRCB's predecessor agency was the Board of Censors for Motion Pictures (BCMP), established in 1961 by virtue of Republic Act No. 3060. From 1980 to 1983, the Board was reorganized at least three times, was renamed the Board of Review for Motion Pictures and Television (BRMPT) in 1981 and the Board of Review for Motion Pictures, Television and Live Entertainment (BRMPTLE) in 1983, and was replaced by the MTRCB in 1985 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1986.
From 1961 to 1985, there were two ratings for a motion picture exhibited in the Philippines:
- For general patronage
- For adults only
The Board can also request to have certain parts of a film be edited to comply with the rating guidelines, and they can also declare certain films as unfit for exhibition. When the Manila Film Center was completed in 1982, films that are exclusively shown there are exempt from classification; if any of those films would be distributed elsewhere, they would be reviewed and classified by the Board just like any other film.
By the time of the MTRCB's founding in 1985, it used four ratings for classification as per its charter:
| Symbol | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| G | General Patronage (all ages admitted) | |
| PG | Parental Guidance Suggested | |
| R | Restricted (for adults only) | Only age 18 and up |
| X | Not for Public Viewing | Can be exhibited only at the Manila Film Center |
Current Film Ratings:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| G | All ages admitted |
| PG | Anyone under 13 should be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian |
| R-13 | Only age 13 and up |
| R-16 | Only age 16 and up |
| R-18 | Only age 18 and up |
| X | Not suitable for public exhibition |
The current television ratings used since 2011 are:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| G | General Patronage |
| PG | Parental Guidance |
| SPG | Strong Parental Guidence |
Television Rating Advisory Bumpers
Bumper (October 6, 2011- )
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G rating
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PG rating
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SPG rating (Tagalog version)
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SPG rating (English version)
Visuals: On a white background, the letters "MTRCB" flip themselves one-by-one to the front, while the film reel is emitting ribbons, showing blue, green, and red, respectively. The completed MTRCB logo then rises to the top. The colored ribbons form into place, then a colored rounded rectangle (representing a television screen) with the rating initials flips thrice horizontally (except for the SPG variant, as it only flips once), then faces the viewer. The rating's description (in uppercase) fades in below. In the case of the SPG variant, the content descriptors below the word SPG (in the form of the letters "T L V S H D" (English) or "T L K S H D" (Tagalog), each letter being inside a semi-translucent box) are emphasized one by one as the announcer explains the meaning of each content descriptor.
Rating Variants:
| Symbol | Description (for English and Tagalog-language shows) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
General Patronage For All Viewers |
|
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Patnubay at Gabay Parental Guidance |
|
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"Striktong" Patnubay at Gabay Strong Parental Guidance |
Content Descriptors:
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Variants:
- The rating bumpers are available in 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios.
- Stretched 16:9 and squeezed 4:3 variants exist.
- An early variant exists for the G and PG rating bumpers wherein the MTRCB logo is already in the top position and the only animation is the spinning and the ribbons connecting.
Technique: CGI.
Audio: A five-note piano theme followed by an announcer. The following are the main variants:
- English
- G: "The following program is rated G. It is suitable for all audiences."
- PG: "This program is rated PG. It contains scenes which may not be suitable for very young audiences. Parental guidance is advised."
- SPG: "This program is rated SPG. It contains scenes with themes, language, violence, sex, horror, or drugs, which may not be suitable for younger audiences. Strong parental guidance is advised."
- Tagalog
- G: "Ang susunod na programa ay rated G. Ito ay pwede sa lahat ng manonood."
- PG: "Ang susunod na programa ay rated PG. Ito ay nangangailangan ng patnubay at gabay ng magulang para sa mga batang manonood."
- SPG: "Ang progamang ito ay rated SPG. Striktong patnubay at gabay ng magulang ang kailangan. Maaaring may maseselang tema, lenggwahe, karahasan, sekswal, horror, o droga, na hindi angkop sa mga bata."
Audio Variants:
- There is a later version of the PG rating where the voice-over says: "Ang susunod na programa ay rated PG. Patnubay at gabay ng magulang ay kailangan sa mga batang manonood."
- There is a version wherein the voice-over of the SPG rating is a mix of PG and SPG, thus making the voice-over say "Ang susunod na programa ay rated SPG. Striktong patnubay at gabay ng magulang ang kailangan. Maaaring may maseselang tema, lenggwahe, karahasan, sekswal, horror, o droga, na hindi angkop sa mga bata."
Availability:
- It is found on all television stations in the Philippines, shown before the start of the program.
- The SPG rating can be seen at the start of the program and midway through it.
- The stretched 16:9 version can be seen on most TV stations broadcasting in the 16:9 aspect ratio, like Net 25, CNN Philippines, GMA Network and GTV, and was seen in letterboxed 4:3 on ABS-CBN from October 3, 2015 to May 5, 2020, A2Z since October 6, 2020, and on TV5 since January 24, 2021 before ABS-CBN Entertainment-produced programs.
- The later version of the PG rating in Tagalog is found on GMA Network, GTV, Heart of Asia, I Heart Movies, and Pinoy Hits.
- This does not appear on Kapamilya Channel, as the on-screen bug just shows the words "Parental Guidance" during programming.
Film Rating Advisory Bumpers
Bumper (2013- )
Visuals: The MTRCB logo animates in the same way as the TV version; however, it is against a navy blue background with a white spotlight in the middle. As the MTRCB logo moves up, wavy ribbons appear from the right and disappear. The ribbons appear again from the left as a CGI filmstrip spins and faces the viewer. The rating description fades in below.
Variants:
- General Patronage: Green filmstrip with the letter "G" in it.
- Parental Guidance/Patnubay at Gabay: Blue filmstrip with letter "PG" in it.
- Restricted 13: Yellow filmstrip with "R-13" in it.
- Restricted 16: Orange filmstrip with "R-16" in it.
Technique: CGI.
Audio: The same piano tune from the TV version, followed by another announcer. These are the main variants:
- English
- General Patronage: "This movie is rated G. It is suitable for all audiences."
- Parental Guidance: "This movie is rated PG. Children below 13 years old may require parental guidance and direction."
- Restricted 13: "This movie is rated R-13. It may contain themes, language, violence, nudity, sex, horror, and drugs which may not be suitable for children below 13 years old."
- Restricted 16: "This movie is rated R-16. It may contain themes, language, violence, nudity, sex, horror, and drugs which may not be suitable for children below 16 years old."
- Tagalog
- General Patronage: "Ang pelikulang ito ay rated G. Ito ay pwede sa lahat ng manonood."
- Parental Guidance: "Ang pelikulang ito ay rated PG. Ito ay nangangailangan ng patnubay at gabay ng magulang para sa mga batang manonood."
- Restricted 13: "Ang pelikulang ito ay rated R-13. Maaaring may tema, lenggwahe, karahasan, nudity, sekswal, katatakutan at droga. na maaaring hindi angkop sa may edad na mababa sa labing-tatlong-taong gulang.
- Restricted 16: "Ang pelikulang ito ay rated R-16. Maaaring may tema, lenggwahe, karahasan, nudity, sekswal, katatakutan at droga. na maaaring hindi angkop sa may edad na mababa sa labing-anim na taong gulang.
Availability: Seen in cinemas before the start of the film. It was also seen before the trailers, when showing in Ayala Malls Cinemas, until 2020.
Other
Bumper (2017?-July 16, 2018)
Visuals:
- Movie infomercial: On a turquoise background with spotlights and a neon rectangle, there is a woman saying "Agrated MTRCB, rated responsable." (this might be the closest saying). There is a blue person with the MTRCB logo on it walking. One of its hand raises up, bringing down two rectangles, one white with a black border, and one blue with a black border, respectively. On them is the text "RATED" and "RESPONSABLE", respectively. Unknown.
- TV infomercial: Same as before, but the background was replaced with a white-teal gradient background.
Technique: 2D animation for the mascot and rectangles, and live action for the woman. The movie infomercial variant had an animated background, but the TV infomercial variant doesn't.
Audio: A re-orchestration of the piano tune, with the woman's dialogue, and glass sounds for the rectangles.
Availability: Seen on two infomercials from 2017, which could both be seen on YouTube starting in 2018.
