A professor contradicted the statement made by Lala Sotto
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), headed by chairwoman Lala Sotto, gave the movie Dear Satan an X-rating and this was slammed by a university professor.
The said movie features Kapuso actor Paolo Contis as the “Satan”. In the movie, a young girl wrote a letter that was supposed to be addressed to Santa but she misspelled it as “Satan” and Paolo’s character receives it, and he tries to influence the young girl.
However, he was not able to influence the young girl because of her faith. For MTRCB, this is not suitable for public viewing as it received an X-rating review.
In a statement, Chair Lala Sotto stressed her Christian faith and said that she was offended by the movie. She pointed out that Satan will never be good.
Amid the negative reactions, including the criticism of its Dear Satan title, Paolo Contis defended the movie. He said that the movie has a good message as it showcased the child-like faith that people should have.
In a statement that university professor Jose Mario de Vega released, based on the article in Inquirer, MTRCB’s X-rating for Dear Satan is “illegal and unconstitutional.”
De Vega is teaching Philosophy and Humanities in various universities such as the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Unibersidad de Manila, and the National University of the Philippines.
He pointed out that Dear Satan does not fall under any themes under Presidential Decree 1986, the law that created the MTRCB. “The decision of the Head of the said agency is unconstitutional undeniably because it grievously violates that constitutional provision on the freedom of expression and the aesthetic freedom of our artists and intellectuals,” De Vega said.
He also said that Chair Lala Sotto is not in a position to apply her faith on this matter. De Vega stressed that public servants’ tasks should not be intertwined with their faith and their feelings.
The professor highlighted that the separation of the state and the church shall be inviolable.