Question & AnswerQ&A (PCG MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 18-93)
The authority cited includes Paragraph (u) of Section 3, Republic Act 5173 and the Revised Rules and Regulations of the Videogram Regulatory Board under PD 1987.
To prescribe guidelines governing the showing/exhibition of videograms or films onboard Philippine registered vessels in the domestic trade and to supplement HPCG Memorandum Circular Nr. 02-79 and MARINA Memorandum Circular No. 72.
It applies to Philippine registered vessels that carry passengers and conduct showing/exhibition of videograms onboard.
Videogram refers to video cassette tapes, discs, similar softwares or any other technical variations containing pre-recorded visual images and sounds of any cinematographic artwork, performance, or event that can be reproduced on television screens and other projection equipment. It excludes video games and computer tapes or software used for games requiring viewer participation.
Public Exhibition means the act or business of showing cinematographic art of work, performance, or event in videograms aboard ship in places open to the general public or private places with fifteen or more persons present or where there is monetary or promotional consideration.
A Commercial License is the authority issued to video establishments to engage in production, distribution, reproduction, selling, renting, or public exhibition of videograms. A Commercial Permit is the authority issued for commercial reproduction, distribution, selling, renting, or exhibition of videograms as classified by the VRB.
Features include proper donning of life jackets; alarms and emergency signals; location of SOLAS equipment and firefighting systems; safety info on mustering, escape routes, and traffic flow; passenger actions during emergencies; information on restricted areas; supervision of passenger activities; security systems to prevent unauthorized boarding; policies on crew-passenger interaction; and hygiene and sanitation details.
Only commercial videograms approved and classified by the VRB, rated as General Patronage (G), may be shown. They must be obtained from registered outlets with a commercial license or permit, shown in designated spaces without interfering with ship operations or passenger comfort, and bear VRB-approved labels and credits.
The ship's operator or owner, the video exhibitor, and the master of the vessel are liable for showing videograms not approved and classified by the VRB.
Under Section G, penalties for showing unapproved commercial films follow the VRB regulations. Failure to include required safety features in safety films leads to fines: P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second, and P5,000 plus six months imprisonment for third and succeeding offenses.
The Commander of the Maritime Safety Office or the Commander of the Coast Guard District shall review and ensure safety films include mandatory safety features.
The VRB or its authorized representatives have free and unhindered access to vessels at the designated exhibition places, with or without PCG personnel accompaniment, to exercise regulatory and supervisory powers.
It takes effect one month after publication in a newspaper of general circulation or fifteen days after submission to the University of the Philippines Law Center.