INIHAIN ni Quezon City Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo ang panukala na ideklarang pornographic material ang mga tabloids na mayroong sexual stories at litrato na hindi maaari sa mga menor de edad.
Nagbabala naman si UP Professor Danilo Arao na maaaring maganda ang intensyon ni Castelo subalit maaaring magresulta ito sa paglabag sa press freedom.
Sa ilalim ng House Bill 4733 o National Restriction on Tabloids bill, ang mga tabloid na may sexual stories at sexual images ay ituturing na “only for adults” materials at hindi maaaring ibenta sa menor de edad o wala pang 18 taong gulang.
“Tabloids containing sexual stories and images distributed for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal should be classified as pornographic or x-rated,” ani Castelo. “Movies and television programs are strictly reviewed and classified with the end view of achieving intelligent viewing and protecting our children. By the same token, smutty tabloids should be regulated in such manner as to keep them at bay to protect the moral integrity of our children.”
Sa pag-aaral ng Post-Millennial Filipinos: Renewed Hope Versus Risks ng Commission on Population, lumalabas na mayroong epekto ang pornographic materials sa maagang sexual activity ng mga kabataan.
Ayon sa Department of Health ay dumarami rin ang mga teenage mothers. Tumataas din ang kaso ng HIV sa bansa.
Sinabi naman ni Arao na dapat linawin ni Castelo ang probisyon ng House bill 4733.
“While Rep. Castelo may have the best intention in mind, HBN 4733 could infringe on press freedom if we allow government to regulate media content, in this case classifying sexual stories and images as “Only For Adults.” The five sections of HBN 4733 do not define certain terms so even misogynist pronouncements of certain government officials could be considered a sexual story. The same is true of a sexual image, say, of a male government official kissing a female supporter. HBN 4733 could set the stage for media censorship without using the latter term.”