MTRCB Local Regulatory Councils Guidelines

Section 3(h) of Presidential Decree No. 1986 is the legal basis used to create a Local Regulatory Council (LRC) in each covered city and municipality.
The LRC’s role is to assist the MTRCB in implementing MTRCB acts, resolutions, decisions, and awards.

Each Local Regulatory Council is composed of a chairman and not less than four members.
The City or Municipal Mayor designates the LRC members from local government agencies and civic, educational and youth organizations.
The appointed persons serve without compensation during the term of the City or Municipal Mayor who appointed them, unless removed earlier by the Mayor or the MTRCB Chairman.
More members may be appointed later as the need arises.

The LRC must assist the MTRCB in implementing any act, resolution, decision or award of the Board.
The LRC must monitor and ensure compliance so that only registered theaters exhibit films.
The LRC must oversee compliance with MTRCB permit requirements, movie classification/admission rules, publicity material standards, and television classification guidelines.
The LRC must submit the required written and periodic reports, and must maintain custody of seized materials until instructed by the MTRCB Chairman.

All theaters are required to annually register with the MTRCB, in the same manner they are required to obtain the local Mayor’s or business permit.
A registered theater receives a small diploma-like MTRCB Certificate of Registration.
The Guidelines require theaters to register with the MTRCB within the first three months of the year (except for newly opened theaters) to avoid surcharges.
The LRC must monitor theaters to ensure that only registered theaters exhibit films.
When the LRC verifies that an unregistered theater is showing a film, the LRC must seize the film with the help of any law enforcement agency and must report immediately to the MTRCB Chairman.

No motion picture may be exhibited in any theater or moviehouse without a Permit to Exhibit issued by the MTRCB covering the picture.
The Permit to Exhibit must be valid and must be posted in front of the ticket office.
If a motion picture or film is exhibited without a valid permit, the exhibition is criminal and illegal and violates Section 7 of Presidential Decree No. 1986.
Pornographic films are treated as covered by the permit-violation category and are also a violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code.
Upon actual verification of exhibition without a valid permit, the LRC must seize the film with the aid of any law-enforcement agency in the area and report immediately to the MTRCB Chairman.

Every MTRCB Permit to Exhibit must carry one of the following classifications: G (General Patronage / Pang Pamilya), PG 7 (Parental Guidance 7 / Pambata 7), PG 13 (Parental Guidance 13 / Pang Tinyedyer), or R 18 (Restricted For Adults Only / Pang Wastong Gulang).
General Patronage (G) allows admission open to persons of all ages, subject only to limitations prescribed by other laws or ordinances.
PG 7 restricts admission to children 7 years of age and above; children between 7 and 12 must be accompanied by an adult, and no one below 7 may be admitted even if accompanied by an adult.
PG 13 limits admission to 13 years old and above with no adult companionship required; children below 13 cannot be admitted even if accompanied by an adult.
R 18 limits admission to persons 18 years of age and over; the movie classification determines who may be admitted.
When the LRC sees any violation of the R 18 admission requirement, the LRC must order the theater to immediately cause the expulsion of the person of the wrong age who gained admission and must immediately report to the MTRCB Chairman.
The Guidelines encourage use of city or municipal ordinances penalizing admission of the wrong aged audience to make violations easier to control at the local level.

The theater must maintain a 3-feet tall standee sign in the lobby announcing the MTRCB classification of the film being shown to guide the public.
When two films are presented as double features, the more restrictive classification governs the announcement and admission into the theater.
If the required standee sign is missing, the LRC must call the attention of the theater owner or operator to the omission.
If the omission is not promptly rectified within a reasonable time, the LRC must report the matter to the MTRCB Chairman.

Still photos displayed at the lobby, posters, and billboards must be General Patronage or safe for all to see.
The MTRCB does not allow publicity materials featuring frontal nudity, gory and bloody scenes, hostage scenes, guns closely pointed at victims, and similar objectionable images.
The LRC must monitor publicity materials and must confiscate those that are obviously objectionable.
The LRC must report at once to the MTRCB Chairman after confiscation.

Executive Order No. 99, issued by President Fidel V. Ramos on June 12, 1993, requires the playing of the National Anthem for sign-on and sign-off purposes in all cinema houses.
The national anthem must follow the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe (the original martial version).
The playing of the National Anthem must be preceded by an announcement, and the people in the theater must be asked to stand and place their right hand over their left chest.

The LRC must also monitor television programs to ensure conformity with the MTRCB Guidelines for Television Classification.
The LRC must report any objectionable TV programs to the MTRCB.

For violations, the LRC must immediately submit to the MTRCB Chairman a brief written report of the violation with details on: the title of the film, the theater where it was being exhibited, the owner’s name, and the date and time of the violation for appropriate MTRCB action.
The reporting destination is Francisco Building, 1373 E. Rodriguez Avenue, Quezon City.
The MTRCB furnishes sample forms for violations that LRCs may adopt for their own use.
The LRC may mail reports or fax to Fax No. 721-31-06, and may call tel. no. 721-31-03 if needed.
The LRC must send a quarterly report on the situation in its area to the MTRCB.
All materials seized by the Council must be safely kept in the custody of the Council until further notice from the MTRCB Chairman.

The LRC has no power to order the closure of any theater.
The LRC has no power to suspend or cancel the Permit to Exhibit.
The exclusive power to close theaters or to suspend or cancel permits is reserved by law to the MTRCB Board.

The LRC must submit to the MTRCB a list of theaters in its area showing: address, owners name, whether air-conditioned or not, and whether registered with the MTRCB for the current year.
The LRC must perform other functions as may be assigned by the MTRCB Chairman from time to time.