MANILA, Philippines – Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has criticized comedian and TV host Vice Ganda for his “salacious” and “indecent” remarks on his noontime show “It’s Showtime”.
Enrile said that Vice Ganda’s jokes and comments were not appropriate for a family-oriented program and violated the moral standards of the Filipino people.
“Super bastos ka, bastos kang tao. Hindi ka dapat mag-host ng isang programa na pampamilya. Wala kang respeto sa sarili mo at sa mga manonood mo,” Enrile said in an interview with DZMM on Monday.
Enrile’s statement came amid the ongoing controversy between “It’s Showtime” and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), which summoned the show’s producers and hosts for a conference last week over alleged violations of the broadcast code.
The MTRCB said that it received complaints from viewers about some segments of the show, such as “Miss Q&A”, “Tawag ng Tanghalan”, and “KapareWho”, which featured suggestive and offensive language, gestures, and innuendos.
Vice Ganda, who is one of the main hosts of the show, defended his style of humor and said that he was just trying to make people happy amid the pandemic.
“Hindi ko naman intensyon na maging bastos. Nagpapatawa lang ako para makapagbigay ng saya at aliw sa mga tao na nahihirapan sa sitwasyon ngayon,” Vice Ganda said in a statement.
He also appealed to the MTRCB to be more lenient and understanding of the show’s creative freedom and expression.
“Sana naman huwag ninyo kaming pigilan sa aming trabaho. Sana naman huwag ninyo kaming limitahan sa aming pagpapahayag. Sana naman huwag ninyo kaming tratuhin na parang mga bata na kailangan ng disiplina,” he added.
The MTRCB has not yet issued any sanctions or penalties against “It’s Showtime” as of press time. The board said that it will continue to monitor the show’s compliance with the broadcast code and the terms of the conference.
