Movie and Television Review and Classification Board

Background

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 was replaced by the MTRCB in 1985 by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1986.

From 1961 to 1985, during the BCMP/BRMPT era, a motion picture exhibited in the Philippines had two ratings:

• 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 for public viewing

Television Rating Advisory Bumpers

(October 6, 2011- )

• 
  G rating
• 
  PG rating
• 
  SPG rating

Bumper: On a white background, the letters "MTRCB" flip themselves one-by-one to the front, whilst 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 Symbols, Their Descriptions, and Announcements:

Symbol	Description (for English and Tagalog-language shows)	Announcement	Notes
	General Patronage For All Viewers	English: "The following program is rated G. It is suitable for all audiences." Tagalog: "Ang susunod na programa ay rated G. Ito ay pwede sa lahat ng manonood."
	Patnubay at Gabay Parental Guidance	English: "This program is rated PG. It contains scenes which may not be suitable for very young audiences. Parental guidance is advised." Tagalog: "Ang susunod na progama ay rated PG. Ito ay nangangailangan ng patnubay at gabay ng magulang para sa mga batang manonood." "Ang susunod na progama ay rated PG. Patnubay at gabay ng magulang ang kailangan para sa mga batang manonood." (short version)
	"Striktong" Patnubay at Gabay Strong Parental Guidance	English: "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: "Ang susunod na progama 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." (shown before the start of the program) "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." (also shown after the commercial break)	Content Descriptors: T: English: Themes Tagalog: Maseselang Tema (lit. "explicit theme") L: English: Language Tagalog: Lenggwahe V: (English) / K (Tagalog) English: Violence Tagalog: Karahasan S: English: Sex Tagalog: Sekswal (lit. "sexual") H: Horror D: English: Drugs Tagalog: Droga

The G rating doesn't have the Tagalog version of the phrase; the phrase "Patnubay at Gabay" literally means "Vigilance and Guidance" in Tagalog, and the phrase "Striktong Patnubay at Gabay" means "Strict Vigilance and Guidance" in the same language.

Variants:

• A shortened variant exists, which the logo is sped up.
• Philippine languages other than Tagalog have their own phrase below the colored rectangle. For example, a PG-rated bumper for a show in the Kapampangan language has "Parental Guidance" and "Patnube at Gabe ding Pengari" (lit. "Parents' Vigilance and Guidance" (English) / "Patnubay at Gabay ng Magulang" (Tagalog)) displayed in that order.

FX/SFX: Very nice CGI.

Music/Sounds: A five-note piano theme followed by a female announcer. The announcements for each of the ratings is indicated in the table above.

Music/Sounds Variant: A shortened variant exists, where the announcer is talking faster than usual.

Availability: Common. It is found on all television stations in the Philippines, shown before the start of the program (and in the case of the SPG rating, after a commercial break).

Editor's Note: Before the implementation of this bumper, most TV networks in the Philippines had their own rating advisory bumpers.

Movie Rating Advisory Bumpers

(2013- )

Bumper: The MTRCB logo animates in the same way as the TV version, however, it is against a navy blue background with 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. Text 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.

FX/SFX: Very nice CGI.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: The same piano tune from the TV version, followed by a male announcer. See Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants for more information.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over 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.

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.

Availability: Common. Seen in cinemas before the movie starts or before movie trailers (as with the case of Ayala Malls Cinemas).

Editor's Note: TBA