On August 2, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Chairperson Lala Sotto released a statement defending her parents, Tito Sotto and Helen Gamboa, in the TV5 noontime show ‘E.A.T’ after they displayed affection on air.

Sotto responded to a reporter stating that, “Hello tita [Pilar] naman, 44 [years] na sila ganyan sa ‘Eat Bulaga’ never naman nagka-issue.”

Her statement came after E.A.T’s celebration of ‘National Dabarkads Day’ on July 29, in which Tito Sotto kissed Helen Gamboa on the neck on live TV.

Her response sparked claims from the netizens citing the double standard and conflict of interest after MTRCB summoned ‘It’s Showtime’ hosts Vice Ganda and Ion Perez to explain the cake-eating bit but not the kissing of Gamboa and Sotto.

Some netizens pointed out the conflict of interest with the MTRCB Chair being the daughter of the host of E.A.T.

One netizen contested the timing of the decision to summon the ‘It’s Showtime’ hosts following the dip in ratings of ‘E.A.T.’

With the continuous decline of EAT’s ratings plus IS’s Mini Ms. U and Isip Bata’s success, isn’t the notice to appear is very timely? It’s giving me, “Dad, akong bahala sa kalaban.” vibes. And yes, please resign Lala Sotto. You don’t have the credibility to head MTRCB.

— Calvin Sandoval (@calvsandoval) August 2, 2023

Others also called out the alleged ‘gender discrimination’ of Lala Sotto and MTRCB.

One netizen noted that the MTRCB issue points to a ‘much larger issue’ of discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community.

This whole Vice MTRCB issue just proves that we’re still far from a fully accepting society.

Just look at the Facebook comments. They will only tolerate us if we’re funny and entertaining. Sadly, that’s just how they see us: for entertainment purposes only. 🫤

 

Another urged the taxpayers to question the ‘biased’ decision of the MTRCB Chairperson.

Take note lang ha? Government agency padin ang MTRCB so tax ng taong bayan ang pinapasahod sa mga nakaupo diyan lalo na kay LALA SOTTO so yung sinasabi niyang wala siyang pake sa mga nagrereklamo at panindigan niya yung desisyon nilang pag bibigay violation sa It’s Showtime tapos…

Earlier, MTRCB Chairperson Lala Sotto claimed they have sent multiple warnings about the language used in ‘It’s Showtime.’

“Kung alam n’yo lang, ilang notices na po ang aming ipinadala sa kanila (It’s Showtime), nakailang warning na rin sila dahil sa mga violations nila sa lengguwahe na paulit-ulit po ‘yun.”

Sotto also clarified they summoned the hosts because of the observations of MTRCB’s monitoring inspection unit, citing alleged violations related to the presence of children during the segment.

She also maintained that the MTRCB adheres to a fair and thorough assessment of complaints before taking any action.