"By virtue of the powers vested upon the undersigned by the law and the rules, you are hereby required to…" the letter proclaims, and to assert the vested powers, it warns that "No motion to dismiss will be entertained and no postponements will be granted…"

To dismiss what?

***

Anyway, it starts with a respectful, "Mesdames," but the rest rings very much like a steely court order that it is not; in fact, it is a letter to the Central CATV, Inc., and signed below the words, "Please be guided accordingly," by Ma. Consoliza P. Laguardia, Chairperson.

It was written under the letterhead Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.

So much for the bureaucratic highhandedness, but just the same, the board suspended the showing of TVE Channel, the Spanish cable television, over Channel 73 for Home Cable and Channel 81 for Destiny Cable.

***

I had written partly about this issue late last month on the complaint of some members of the Spanish circles here who feel cheated by the suspension of their subscription to the cable channel showing the TVE television program.

Since cable television is paid for, the classification board should have considered the implications of its cancellation to the thousands, probably millions, of cable subscribers.

If the MTRCB is correct that its members found some scenes objectionable and, therefore, should be censored, then only those particular films should have been banned and not the whole TVE Channel, as contained in the appeal of Philippine Cable Television Association President Tony V. Selda.

***

In its notice of suspension the MTRCB based its action on a TVE program aired at around 7 in the morning of December 5, 2005, a filmography featuring the work of the celebrated film maker Roman Polanski showing sex scenes with breast exposure and obscene dialogues.

It is strange that the board whose members are supposed to be enlightened as custodians of the society’s morals and intellectual sensibility, should question the artistic integrity of Roman Polanski’s filmography as actor, writer, director, producer, or let alone as a widely acclaimed and highly honored man in the film world.

Of course, Polanski’s private life may not be virginal or pure, but that is beside the point.

What is important is that the people should be given the opportunity to see and observe the craft of a man of such achievements to indulge in their own appreciation of his art that surely transcends the prurient orientation of lesser mortals.

By canceling the TVE shows, the MTRCB has deprived the audiences of such opportunity to exult at the wonders of Polanski’s visual craft.

That’s the price that society has to pay for the overly restrictive view of censorship.

***

What’s the basis of their opinion in effecting the suspension of the TVE Channel?

What ethical principles did the board use in passing judgment on Polanski’s work, in particular?

Censorship in television may be necessary, in fact, desirable on society but only if it concerns violence or terrorism or explicit sexual acts or cruelty or programs that are potentially harmful to children.

Scenes of exposed women’s breasts in the early morning hours should not cause such alarm as to prompt outright suspension of the whole TVE program.

***

BRIEFLY – In its notice of suspension, the MTRCB repeatedly cited Presidential Decree 1986 to justify its action. Other Presidential Decrees are also being referred to in deciding cases in the courts, but isn’t it time that they are replaced by laws passed by a democratic Congress? Mention of Presidential Decree raises the ghost of Martial Law long after its demise. (zhern_218@yahoo.com)