Bong Revilla calls for lifting ‘Showtime’ suspension on humanitarian grounds

Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. appealed to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to reconsider the Movie Television Review and Classification Board’s decision junking the bid of It’s Showtime to lift the suspension on the variety show, saying this prevented numerous workers from making a living.

The MTRCB denied the motions for reconsideration filed by GMA Network Inc. and ABS-CBN Corporation for “It’s Showtime” which was suspended due to a segment in which hosts Ryan Bang, Vice Ganda, and Ion Perez allegedly acted indecently or inappropriately in the presence of children.

"Without getting into the merits of the case, the MTRCB should be able to consider the welfare of all the staff and crew [working in the show] who had nothing to do with the cited reason why the show was suspended,” Revilla said in a statement.

“These are the workers who are under a 'no work, no pay' scheme. If the suspension pushes through, they won’t have the means to earn a living and put food on the table,” Revilla added.

Revilla said both GMA and ABS-CBN could file an appeal with the Office of the President within 15 days, and that humanitarian considerations could be applied to the appeal.

"I think lessons have been learned," Revilla said.

“If a mistake was made, one person’s sin is not the sin of another. I hope we don't punish those working hard day-in, day-out just to eke out a living," Revilla added. — DVM, GMA Integrated News