MANILA, Philippines – The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board on Wednesday summoned Eat Bulaga and The Ryzza Mae Show producers to a mandatory conference over “scenes allegedly insensitive and unfriendly to children.”
The MTRCB, in a statement sent to media, said some scenes shown by the two programs “palpably violate the dignity of the child,” prompting them to summon on September 5 the show’s producer TAPE, Inc. and GMA Network, where both shows air.
The Board mentioned two episodes: Eat Bulaga’s July 29 episode in which a host “spat juice on the face of child actress-host Ryzza Mae Dizon” and the Ryzza Mae Show’s August 14 episode where a contest winner called the child “landing bata ka.”
“The MTRCB hopes in the cooperation of all those concerned in finding out what caused these scenes, who are responsible therefore, and what immediate and concrete measures can be done so they do not happen again,” the statement read.
The MTRCB said there was “serious and urgent concern for the welfare of children, who are most vulnerable in media and entertainment.”
The August 14 episode posted on YouTube showed Dizon asking 21-year old Gelsa Buhok if she had a boyfriend. The woman answered, “Meron. Bakit aagawin mo? Ang bata bata mo pa ah. Landing bata ‘ka ah. (I have [a boyfriend]. Are you going to steal him? You’re still so young. You’re such a flirty kid.)”
“Bakit? Pag tinatanong ba aagawin na agad? (Why? If I ask [about your boyfriend] does it already mean I am going to steal him?),” the child star was quick to reply.
“Bata pa ko. Ate huwag ha. Dahan-dahan. Ikaw naman ang sungit mo sa akin (I am still young. Don’t [treat me like that]. Take it slow. You’re too harsh with me),” Dizon added as the contest winner laughed, thinking it was still a joke.
At the end of the 5-minute clip, Dizon asked Buhok to choose a prize gave it to an audience member.
As of September 4, the YouTube video was viewed by almost half a million times.
The most “liked” comment on the video said the woman should not have treated a child like that.
“I think that merits a case…violence against children… Well if that’s [the contest winner’s] way of wanting to be famous, she succeeded. [But], she made a big mistake of making herself the laughing stock of the entire country,” the comment read.
Dizon became famous after winning Little Miss Philippines in 2012. She had become a regular host for the variety show Eat Bulaga! and was asked to host The Ryzza Mae Show which first aired in April 2013.