7 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
) 
S.B. SENAT%17 
No. 
'011 ;IUL 27 P 4  :57 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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EXPLANATORY NOTE 
P.D. 1986 which created the Movie and Television Review and Classification 
Board (MTRCB) does not authorize it to prescribe ratings for violence in television 
programming and rules for signals containing specifications for blocking violent 
programming in apparatuses with such technical capability. Neither thus R.A 7925, 
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a.k.a. the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines give such auth I 
rity to 
the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for broadcast operations of public 
communications entities. 
On several occasions since 1975, the Journal of the American Medical 
Association has alerted the medical community to the adverse effects of televised 
violence on child development including an increase in the level of aggressive behavior 
among children who view it. A report dated May 1999 of the Hany Frank Guggenheim 
Foundation in the Unites States, reveals that there is irrefutable connection between the 
amount of violence depicted in the television programs watched by children and 
increased aggression among them. 
This bill prescribes television violence rating codes for children and prohibits 
violent programming on television during certain hours, For those apparatus equipped 
with technical capability for blocking signals, the bill authorizes the MTRCB and the 
NTC to jointly prescribe rules for transmission. 
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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
First Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
) 
‘04 
JUL 27 P 4 5 7  
Protection Act.” 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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AN ACT 
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LIMITING EXPOSURE OF CHILDREN TO VIOLENT 
PROGRAMMING ON TELEVISION AND CABLE SYSTEMS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled. 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Children’s Media 
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SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the term - 
(1) ”Cable Operator” any person or group of persons who (a) provides 
cable service over a cable system and directly or through one or more affiliates 
owns a significant interest in such cable system, or (b) who otherwise controls or 
is responsible for, through any arrangement, the management and operation of 
such a cable system; 
(2) “Cable System” any faculty consisting of a set of closed transmission 
paths and associated signal generation, reception, and control equipment that is 
deigned to @wide cable service which includes video programming and which 
is provided to multiple subscribers within a community, but such term does not 
include (a) a facility that serves only to retransmit the television signals of 1 or 


more television broadcast stations; (b) a facility that serves only subscribers in 
one (1) or more multiple unit dwelling under common ownership, control or 
management, unless such facility or facilities use any public right-of-way; (c) a 
facility of a common carrier, except to the extent such facility is used in the 
transmission of video programming directly to subscribers; or (d) any facility of 
any electric utility used solely for operating its electric utility system. 
(3) Programming - includes advertisements but does not include 
newscasts, news iiiterviews, and news documentation. 
(4) Public telecommunication entity - any person, firm, partnership or 
corporation, government or 
private, 
engaged 
in 
the 
provision 
of 
telecommunications services to the public for compensation. 
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SECTION 4. Establishment of Television Violence Rating Code. - The Movie and 
Television and Classification Board (MTRCB) and the National Telecommunications 
Commission (NTC) shall jointly prescribe, in consultation with television broad asters, 
cable operators, concerned non-government organizations for children, and in rested 
individuals from the private sector, rules for rating the level of violence in tel vision 
programming, including rules for the transmission by television broadcast systems and 
cables systems of signals containing specifications for blocking violent programming. 
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SECTION 5 .  Elimination of Violent Programming on Television During Certain 
Hours. - The MTRCB and the NTC shall, within thirty (30) days from the effectivity of 
this Act, pass rules and regulations prohibiting the broadcast on commercial television 
and public telecommunications entities, including the broadcast by cable operators, from 
6:OO a.m. to 1O:OO p.m. inclusive of programming that contains very violent scenes for 
children in accordance with the rating code established pursuant to the preceding 
paragraph. 


SECTION 6. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held!invalid 
or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 7. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, 
or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended 
accordingly. 
SECTION 8. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved. - .- 
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Fn: 298 
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