MTRCB Allows Screening of 'Barbie' in PH Amid 9-dash Line Issue

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has allowed the screening of Warner Bros' "Barbie" movie in the country amid controversy over its apparent depiction of China's "nine-dash line" in a scene in the movie.

It can be remembered that Vietnam has banned the upcoming movie due to the depiction of the contentious nine-dash line. Philippine Senator Francis Tolentino has also opposed the supposed nine-dash line in "Barbie" and urged the MTRCB to block "Barbie’s” upcoming screening in the country.

In a one-second scene in "Barbie's'" main trailer, the cartoonish map behind Margot Robbie during her encounter with Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) can be seen depicting China's supposed territorial claims in the South China Sea, although the map actually only shows eight dashes and not nine.

According to MTRCB's statement on July 12, they have given "Barbie" a Parental Guidance (PG) rating after conducting two review sessions, thorough deliberations, and consultations with key government agencies and a legal expert on the West Philippine Sea.

"The Review Committee is convinced that the contentious scene does not depict the 'nine-dash line,'" the MTRCB said. "Instead, the map portrayed the route of the make-believe journey of Barbie from Barbie Land to the 'real world,' as an integral part of the story."

The MTRCB's statement came as the country celebrates the 7th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration's (PCA) South China Sea Arbitration Award. On July 12, 2016, the PCA ruled in favor of the Philippines in its historic case against China, thus invalidating China's sweeping claim to rights in the territory, including the vague nine-dash line that encompassed around 90% of the South China Sea.