MTRCB chair Lala Sotto justifies X rating for 'Dear Satan': 'I am offended as a Christian'
Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chair Lala Sotto explained that the Filipino film Dear Satan received an X rating as it violated Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1986.
Sotto justified the rating in a Senate subcommittee on finance's hearing on the budget of the MTRCB and Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) on Sept. 3.
"Freedom of expression is not absolute nor limitless. That's why there's a law in place, that's why there exists MTRCB," she said.
She did not specifically mention what was violated in PD No. 1986, but one of the elements indicated in the mandate for rating X is when the film “clearly constitutes an attack against any race, creed, or religion.”
When asked by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada what the film is all about, veteran filmmakers and FDCP chairperson Jose Javier Reyes said it tells the story of a little girl (Sienna Stevens) writing to Santa Claus but misspelled the name Satan (Paolo Contis).
“And it was Satan who received her wish, her wish list for Christmas. So, Satan came to life and went to the little girl and was humanized by the little girl in the process,” Reyes said.
For her part, the MTRCB chair said, “I have seen the film. I joined the board. I am offended as a Christian.”
“It is not demonic, but it has a different depiction of Satan becoming good. But Satan will never ever be good,” Sotto added.
The MTRCB chairperson also said that the makers of Dear Satan have yet to appeal the rating.
In a statement on Aug. 23, Mavx Productions Inc. apologized to the public if the title of the film caused “any offense or discomfort,” stressing it was not their intention “to hurt or disrespect anyone’s religious beliefs.”
“The film is a narrative about the power of faith and the triumph of good over evil. We wanted to illustrate that despite the presence of evil in the world, faith and virtue can prevail,” read the statement.
Following the backlash, they said that they would be changing the film’s name to “reflect its intended message and to honor sensitivities of all our viewers.” They also expressed hope for viewers to watch the film with an “open mind and heart.”
Apart from Dear Satan, the MTRCB also gave an X rating to the documentary film Alipato at Muog, which tackles the abduction of the film director’s older brother, activist Jonas Burgos. Sotto said the film “tends to undermine the faith and confidence of the people in their government.”
