Just in case you read the article at PinoyFilm.com and were left wondering why it disappeared.

First published at my Multiply blog.

Hi guys,

I've unpublished my previous post on the MTRCB (Abolish the MTRCB! - The Last Straw) because we didn't want to get people into hot water, legal or otherwise. On the off chance that you've copy and pasted it somewhere, may we request for you to unpublish it.

However, I'm posting below the last part of the post since it still holds true, and is definitely not actionable.

We thought it more prudent to focus our energies on the creation or amending of the law itself and on fighting the Anti-Obscenity Bill, and avoid distractions such as libel suits (justified or not). As my  filmmaker friend JP Carpio put it, this doesn't mean we're backing down -- the wheels are already in motion, and we have started taking steps in pursuit of our goals. We're also keeping in touch with other people in the artistic community who have similar aspirations.

We'll keep you posted. Thanks!

Best,
:) Dino

***
Abolish the MTRCB! - The Last Straw
...

I would tell later Lav that night (at Gloria Jeans, Oyster Boy, and Mogwai) that, for me, it had just started to sink in. More than 20 years since we supposedly removed our shackles as a nation, and we still have an anachronistic tool of suppression.

It's time to finally and truly free ourselves from the MTRCB. It's also time to fight another tool of suppression in the horizon, the Anti-Obscenity Bill. I call on all filmmakers and artists to unite. Lav Diaz promised that when he comes back in November (from the Berlin retrospective of his works -- ironic and pathetic isn't it?) he's willing to spearhead the fight, head sit down strikes, if need be. He also said that we should start looking for lawmakers to sponsor a bill that would abolish or amend PD 1986 which created the MTRCB.

We cannot just settle for appeals or pakiusap. It's the system that we have to change. Nor can we rely on good persons sitting on the board to fight for us. It is the system that we have to overhaul. I also appeal to all artists sitting on the MTRCB right now, to please resign. As pointed out by Lav, by staying on, you are condoning its right to exist. There's no room for a Board of Censors in the Filmmaking Industry. We only need a Board of Classification.

If you can suggest lawmakers who could fight for our cause, please write down his or her name in the comments section below. We need to stop this comedy right now.

Please stand by for further developments. In the meantime, we're fighting this war on all fronts -- we also have allies in the international scene. JP Carpio, for example, has informed me that American filmmaker Rob Nilsson wrote filmmaker Raymund Cruz back, telling the latter that he is willing to write about this sad affair. We'll also seek the help of the various international film festivals and the international filmmaking community.

For now, keep on fighting! Mabuhay ang Pelikulang Pilipino!

Update: Since this article was written I have started an online group called Free Expression Philippines aimed at repealing PD 1986 which created the MTRCB, and in challenging the pending Anti-Obscenity Bill.