Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) — The US film “Plane” will undergo re-evaluation after Senator Robin Padilla raised the concerned that it negatively portrayed the Philippines, the Movie and Television Review And Classification Board (MTRCB) said Thursday.
“The MTRCB will re-evaluate the film in view of the concerns and will take all necessary measures if found to be in any way injurious to the prestige of the Philippines or its people,” the MTRCB said in a statement.
“Although the film is fictional, we still would not want our country to be portrayed in a negative and inaccurate light,” it added.
On Wednesday, Padilla condemned the negative image of the Philippines as seen in American film \”Plane,\” and called on authorities to impose a ban on its showing in cinemas.
“Reputasyon po ng Inang Bayan ang pinaguusapan dito, Ginoong [Senate] Pangulo [Juan Miguel Zubiri], ” Padilla said.
[Translation: Our Motherland’s reputation is at stake, Mr. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.]
“‘Pag pinaguusapan natin ang bayan natin at mga diprensya, ok lang yan kasi trabaho natin yan. Pero pagka ibang bansa na po ang bumabanat sa atin dapat di dapat tayo pumapayag,” he added.
[Translation: If we Filipinos talk about the problems of our nation, that is okay because that is our job. But if other countries paint a bad picture of our country, we should not agree to it.]
In the action-thriller, the protagonist’s plane crashes in Jolo – a place described as one \”run by separatists and militia.\”
A character named Scarsdale, played by American actor Tony Goldwyn, was also quoted saying, \”The Filipino army won’t even go there [Jolo] anymore.\”
Padilla earlier urged the MTRCB not to screen the film in cinemas.
“‘Di po dapat ito [film “Plane”] pinapalabas sa Pilipinas. Dito po dapat sa ating bansa, pinagbabawal ito at kino-condemn po natin ito,” Padilla said.
[Translation: The film \”Plane\” should not be allowed to be shown in the Philippines. We should not just ban it, we must also condemn it.]
Meanwhile, Zubiri stressed that \”As a nation, we should send our regrets [that] this is not the real situation on the ground.\”
The movie stars Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Yoson An, and Goldwyn.
