FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. wants to ban the animated film “Abominable” in the country.
He doesn’t like it that the film features a map of the South China Sea that showed China’s 9-dash line claim.
Locsin tweeted, “For me, call a universal boycott of all Dreamworks productions from here on.”
“A general boycott isn’t my duty but I’ve suggested it. All Dreamworks productions, no re-runs – IF that’s not an unconstitutional denial of Filipinos’ right to see what they want; not what some (glaring) natives think they should or should not,” he added.
Seemingly realizing how a ban might be too drastic, Locsin then suggested “What about cutting out the offending scene which puts the censorial act in its proper context and make the cut obvious? I hate waffling.”
Earlier, Vietnam has banned the movie for the same.
Malacañang has refused to comment on the issue but it is not as if Locsin is alone on the matter.
Agusan del Norte 1st district Rep. Lawrence Fortun is also pushing for the banning of “Abominable” for the “negative bearing on our integrity as a country and nation.”
“The movie ‘Abominable’ should be banned, or if it’s already showing in our movie houses, immediately stopped,” he said.
“Amid calls to boycott the movie, the MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board) cannot just stand (on) the sidelines, and instead, proactively address what could mislead our children, even adults, into believing a foreign country’s claim prejudicial to our national interest to be true and controlling,” he added.
Prior, the MTRCB gave the film a “G” classification, meaning it’s suitable for general patronage.
Fortun said, MTRCB officials might not be aware of the scene featuring the nine-dash line map.
“Had they been aware, they might have exercised more prudence and acted accordingly,” he said. (NEIL RAMOS)
