FACT CHECK: No official statement from MTRCB vs Vice Ganda

Claim: Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chairman Lala Sotto warned It’s Showtime host Vice Ganda after the TV personality humiliated two guests in a segment of the noontime show. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim has 6,131 views, 76 likes, and 69 comments as of writing. It was posted by a channel with 8,120 subscribers. The video’s thumbnail is also circulating on Facebook. 

The video’s title says, “Lagot! MTRCB Chairman Lala Sotto binalaan si Vice Ganda dahil sa pamamahiya kay Axel at Christine! (Oh no! MTRCB chairman Lala Sotto warned Vice Ganda for embarrassing Axel and Christine!)”

The facts: Contrary to the video’s claim, Sotto said the hosts “acted appropriately” in the May 31 “EXpecially for You” segment of It’s Showtime. The MTRCB has yet to release an official statement. 

According to talk show host Ogie Diaz, Sotto said she personally believed the hosts committed no violation when asked about the MTRCB’s take on the issue. 

“I don’t have an official statement. But, in my opinion, the hosts acted appropriately [in] the given situation,” Sotto said in her message to Diaz featured in the latter’s vlog on June 8.

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What happened: During the May 31 “EXpecially for You” segment, Vice Ganda and other hosts called out one of the segment’s searchees, Axel, when he appeared to attempt to kiss the searcher, Christine, on the cheek without asking for her consent. The hosts were heard saying, “Oy, hindi puwede iyon!” (Hey, it’s inappropriate!) in the background. 

Vice Ganda told Axel: “Alam mo bang puwede kang pademanda sa ginagawa mo? You don’t do that. Di ka puwedeng… nagnanakaw ng halik.”

(Do you know that you can be charged for what you did? You don’t do that. You can’t just… steal a kiss.)

The incident drew polarized reactions online, with social media users calling out the actions of both Axel and the noontime show hosts. Some said Vice Ganda’s comment was appropriate, while others criticized the host for supposedly unnecessarily shaming the male participant publicly.

Previous fact checks: Vice Ganda has been the subject of disinformation content in the past. Rappler has published the following fact checks:

• FACT CHECK: ‘MTRCB summons’ for Vice Ganda came from satire account
• FACT CHECK: Marcos, Duterte did not order Vice Ganda to leave the country
• FACT CHECK: No Marcos-Duterte order for Vice Ganda to leave the country

– Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com

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