Sa July 2024 ang second year ni Diorella Maria “Lala” Sotto-Antonio bilang chairwoman ng MTRCB (Movie Television Review Classification Board).
Isa sa pinag-usapang isyu sa first year ng panunungkulan niya ay ang pagkakasuspinde ng noontime show na It’s Showtime, na kalaban ng Eat Bulaga!, kung saan isa sa main hosts ang ama niyang si Tito Sotto.
Simula noong cake-icing episode nito noong July 25, 2023 at matapos ang 12-day suspension noong October 27, 2023, nagkita na ba sila ni Vice Ganda?
Mabilis na sagot ni Chair Lala, “You know what… yes, yes, yes. We finally met few days ago lang. I was so, so happy to have finally met Vice Ganda. For the first time ko siya nakita in person.”
Kumusta naman?
Aniya, “Masayang-masaya ako na na-meet ko siya in person for the first time… in my life.”
Saan naganap at paano ang naging pagkikita nila?
“It was the fashion show of Paul Cabral, so nagkita kami dun. Nakakatuwa kasi nobody introduced us.
“I just, of course, knew na siya si Vice Ganda, and then nagkataon lang kasi napakaraming tao, so nagkatapat kami.
“So ayan, nagkita kami, nagbeso kami, nakakatuwa. So happy finally nag-meet kami.”
Hindi na raw nabanggit o napag-usapan pa ang naging isyu.
“No, no, no, wala,” sabi niya, “Saka, mabilis lang rin, kasi the show was about to start at that time.
Wala rin namang nasabi na hindi maganda o masama si Vice noon.
Pagsang-ayon ni Lala, “Yes, never naman. Oo, wala naman sinabing masama.”
Dugtong niya, “Yes, nakakatuwa. Praise God. I was so happy.”
LALA SOTTO ON BASHERS
Hindi siya na-spare sa pangungutya ng mga kritiko at bashers.
Ilan sa mga ito ay nagsabing meron siyang conflict of interest noong nangyari ang cake-cing incident sa It’s Showtime.
Ipinagkibit-balikat na lang niya ang mga negatibong comments.
Sabi ni Lala, “Maliit pa ako, sanay na ako sa kanila [bashers], kaya thank God.”
Very passionate ang mga bashers sa pagbabato ng mga hate comments. May nakilala na ba siyang basher o hater niya?
“Parang wala pa naman akong na-encounter na gano’n. I’ve always believed that bashers and everybody, each of us are entitled to our own opinion. So that’s their right to air out whatever they want to say.
“But of course there are limitations, di ba? Kaya may tinatawag na libel, may defamation, may limitations, ano?
“Pero when it comes to my experience from the bashers, hindi ko talaga napapansin na sa sobrang ka-busy-han, sa sobrang dami ng workload na ginagawa dito. It’s just business as usual to us.”
Inisa-isa niya ang mga functions ng MTRCB on a daily basis.
“Hindi lang naman suspension ng shows or cancellation ng shows ang inaatupag namin, marami rin kaming mga cable entities, registrations, licenses, permits to exhibit na inaatupag on a daily basis at mino-monitor na shows so…
“Hindi lang yun, pati mga movies na ni-re-review every single day ,so napakarami naming ginagawa.
“Kaya sa ayaw at gusto mo, if you were in my shoes, hindi mo rin talaga mapapansin.”
LALA SOTTO ON BEING A BOSS, MTRCB CHAIR, AND POLITICIAN
Paano naman ang kanyang management style?
“As a boss? I really don’t consider myself as a boss. Never. I never considered myself as a boss especially here at the MTRCB,” saad ng anak nina Tito at veteran actress Helen Gamboa.
“I always believe na pantay pantay kami, ultimo yung aming mga employees, yung mga naglilinis, ang aming mga utility, monitoring inspection unit, ultimo guard, because I’ve always believed that we cannot get work done if we aren’t together.
“We cannot be successful if we don’t work together so, katulad yung mga ginagawa example ng IT, yung mga taga-IT namin, di ko naman kayang gawin yung trabaho nila, so I just give them the same respect that I give my board members.”
Nakausap ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) at ilang piling entertainment press si Chair Lala kamakailan lang sa MTRCB office.
Paano naman niya ia-assess ang naging panunungkukulan niya sa taong 2023?
“I think it was a challenging, surprisingly challenging year, but praise God we were able to surpass all the challenges, and I believe we made all the right decisions by God’s grace.”
Labing-walong taong nanungkulan sa local government ng Quezon City si Lala bilang konsehal.
Ibang-iba ba ang nararanasan niya ngayon bilang MTRCB chairwoman?
“Ah, yes,” mabilis niyang sagot. “Oo, because when I was in politics, kilalang-kilala lang naman ako sa aming lungsod, sa Quezon City, but now kilala na rin sa ibang lugar.”
Sabi ng mga reporters na nakausap niya, dahil sa social media, kilala na siya worldwide.
Hirit niya, “Sobra naman yun…So nakilala rin sa ibang lugar, and I’m glad they’re aware that the MTRCB is very active and that we’re here to uphold or mandate, which is to protect children from content that we do not want them to see.”
LALA’S 2024 PLANS
Kung meron man daw natutunan si Lala sa MTRCB, ito ay hindi mo talaga mapi-please ang lahat.
Aniya, “That you will never be everybody’s cup of tea, and that it’s okay to be disliked for as long as you’re doing the right thing. That the Lord put me here for a purpose and I’m here to just do my job.”
Naniniwala rin siya na nagagawa nila ang layunin ng ahensiya, pero marami pa ring kailangang gawin.
ON RESPONSABLENG PANONOOD PROGRAM
“Marami… maraming-marami. In fact, we have a lot of plans this 2024. To expand our Responsableng Panonood Program, and we enjoined the President in his campaign for Bagong Pilipinas.
“We’ll be updating you with our programs and projects under the Bagong Pilipinas campaign.”
Kasama na rito ang pagbisita pa sa mga probinsiya?
“Yes, more trainings,” sabi niya.
“We need to equip and empower the parents to be very much involved in the viewing habits of their children. Kailangan nating i-monitor yung sarili nating mga, kung anong napapanood ng ating mga anak, lalong lalo na yung mga children below seven. Yun yung pinaka-vulnerable.”
ON CENSORSHIP
Mula noon hanggang ngayon, may mga hindi pa rin talaga naniniwala sa censorship, lalo na sa industriya.
“Of course ganon naman talaga, di ba? Love-hate kapag regulatory body ka,” pagsang-ayon niya.
Pagdating sa mga pananaw ng iba na taong 2024 na nga, bakit kailangan pa ng censorship, ano ang sarili niyang stand?
“ My stand is our values should not be determined by the changes in society, di ba? Kasi that’s supposed to be instilled, and it is in our PD na meron tayong sinusundan–Filipino family values and that is one of our mandates which is to deliver Filipino family value based media and entertainment.
“Like I said earlier, I believe that the Lord put me here for a reason and for a purpose and hindi yata kaya ng konsensya ko not to follow the values, the Christian values that I have.”
ON AMENDING MTRCB’S CHARTER
Naniniwala naman siya na kailangan nang i-amend ang batas ng MTRCB.
“Yes. Long overdue. Maraming-marami.”
Si Senator Robin Padilla nga raw ang nagsusulong din nito.
“Abangan natin because ayoko naman i-preempt si Senator Robin because pinaghihirapan niya talaga ito and he’s coming from—he’s full of passion, ‘no?
“Si Senator Robin, I noticed lalong lalo na when it comes to women and children? Grabe yung puso niya to protect them.”
Klinaro rin niya ang process at participation ng dating action star.
“Si Senator Robin yung gagawa ng plan niya… oo, yung kanyang legislative team. Basta kami, nag-submit lang kami kay Senator ng aming proposed amendment to the charter, and it’s still up to the legislators, which is the senate and the congress Kasi pareho dapat, both upper and lower house will approve and pass the bill.”
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