March 27, 2001

5:38 PM

When Headlines Go (Nearly) RightThe world's most unfortunately named cleric makes a cameo appearance in a row over sex scenes in a film. Can someone persuade me that the Pope didn't make Bishop Sin a cardinal just for these moments?
posted by holgate (7 comments total)

Mrs Arroyo, a devout Catholic, said it was the government's role to act as the morals police

This is the phrase I never want to hear out of one of America's presidents, but I fear we will be hearing soon.

Isn't the Philippines' constitution modeled on the American one? Do they not have a supreme court that can delcare laws like this unconstitutional?
posted by OneBallJay at 6:34 PM on March 27, 2001

laws like what, accountingboy? there wasn't anything particular legal to what was done to the movie. they wanted the head of the ratings board to declare it unfit and have it removed from the theaters -- despite the fact that it was out of his legal jurisdiction, having been approved by the previous head. thank goodness tiongson stuck to his guns and resigned rather than do something he knew was wrong (he's a professor at my university, and we're all quite proud).

what i love best about the entire situation is that neither the "moral crusaders" nor cardinal sin have actually seen the movie they condemn, nor do they plan to. i'd like to know whatever happened to judge not lest ye be judged. i've got a few more links to this topic here.
posted by lia at 6:56 PM on March 27, 2001

Laws like:

a controversial government ban on a film with sex scenes

That sounded to me like a law, rather than an arrangement with the ratings board. But I stand (more like sit) corrected. Geez, lia, it sounds like I offended you in some way. I think we're on the same side of this one, and I would be proud of Mr. (Dr.?) Tiongson as well for sticking to his guns.
posted by OneBallJay at 7:20 PM on March 27, 2001

so does this make the church more powerful than the state in the philippines?
posted by titboy at 8:08 PM on March 27, 2001

sorry to sound pissy, accountingboy, but your post came out basically like titboy's question -- to which the answer is, unfortunately, sometimes. but then, big business and the religious right have been pushing the u.s. government around for years, no? things like this happen in your own backyard too; it's the assumption that they only happen elsewhere that sets me on edge.
posted by lia at 9:57 PM on March 27, 2001

crasspastor just more or less expressed what many people in the country (including myself) feel about the issue in another thread.
posted by lia at 10:05 PM on March 27, 2001

"Amusement tax"?
posted by Skot at 9:13 AM on March 28, 2001