MTRCB reiterates years-long ambition to regulate streaming platforms

Chairperson Sotto said they will ‘accept the challenge’ if Congress expands their mandate.

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board has reiterated its years-long push to regulate streaming and online content.

During the Senate Finance Committee’s hearing on the MTRCB’s ₱49.9-million budget proposal for 2027, Chairperson Lala Sotto-Antonio expressed readiness to regulate streaming platforms—should Congress expand the agency’s mandate.

“I would like to emphasize that the MTRCB is not for prohibition but for regulation,” Sotto-Antonio said. “We will accept the challenge if the legislators would include the said online services, streaming platforms, the subscription video-on-demand services in our jurisdiction or our purview.”

“However, it would entail a lot of coordination with the said stakeholders,” she added, noting that the agency has been in talks with Netflix, HBO, and Disney.

The MTRCB was created in 1985 through Presidential Decree No. 1986 under the Marcos dictatorship. It is tasked with reviewing and classifying motion pictures, television programs, and publicity materials—and may approve, restrict, or prohibit their exhibition based on its standards.

But because PD 1986 specifically defines the MTRCB’s jurisdiction around motion pictures and television programs, the law does not expressly give the board authority over online and streaming content.

As internet and streaming grew, proposals to expand the MTRCB’s mandate followed. In 2022, Senate Bill No. 1178 was filed to amend PD 1986 and give the board authority over streaming services.

SB 1178 was later folded into Senate Bill No. 2805, which passed the Senate in 2025 but had no counterpart measure filed in the House. As of September 2026, a House version remained pending at the committee level.

For a bill to become law, both chambers must approve identical versions before it can be sent to the President for signing.

To date, the MTRCB’s role on streaming has largely been through partnerships. In 2023, it worked with streaming platforms to launch its “Responsableng Panonood” campaign, which helps parents, teachers, and other supervising adults guide children’s media use.

The campaign expanded in 2025 through a partnership with the Presidential Communications Office, becoming “Responsableng Panonood Tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas.” It promotes parental supervision on online streaming platforms while also supporting the local film and television industry.

The MTRCB’s long-time push to cover streaming platforms has also prompted questions and criticism. Last June, the University of the Philippines’ Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral sa Komunikasyon parodied Sotto-Antonio in a sketch for its “Live A.I.D.S. 36” comedy-musical variety show.

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