MTRCB: China Daily’s portrayal of Filipinos is ‘racist, dehumanizing’

MANILA, Philippines—Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) Chair Lala Sotto condemned the AI-generated videos and editorial content released by China Daily, saying they depicted Filipinos in a “racist and dehumanizing manner.” “As a Filipino, I stand with every Filipino who found these offensive and unacceptable,” Sotto said in a statement on Monday. “I fully support the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in calling out these derogatory portrayals,” she added. On July 10, China Daily’s Facebook account posted an AI-generated video showing a monkey clad in a worn barong Tagalog being blasted with water from a cannon. The DFA formally protested the video and editorial content released by state-run newspaper China Daily. Sotto said that although the content is beyond the MTRCB’s jurisdiction, it underscores concerns over the responsible use of emerging technologies in content creation and distribution. “We have seen the increasing proliferation of harmful content across digital and social media platforms, especially those accessible to young viewers,” she added. The MTRCB said it aims to strengthen collaboration among government agencies, content creators, and subscription-based streaming platforms to promote responsible content standards. Malacañang also said on Monday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. considers the video posted by China Daily portraying Filipinos as monkeys “unacceptable.”