Entertainment
NTC orders KBP to prohibit airing of Shanti Dope’s ‘Amatz’
The NTC said it recognized Shanti Dope’s “freedom of expression,” however, it is not “absolute if it contravenes public interest, public order, public safety and the general welfare of the children and youth.” (File photo: Shanti Dope/Facebook)
The Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) has been ordered by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to prohibit the airing of Filipino rapper Shanti Dope’s “Amatz” in its member radio and television stations.
“Together with the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency), the Commission strongly supports President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s fight against illegal drugs and as part of our commitment to this administration’s crusade, the KBP is hereby directed to enforce compliance with Article 15, Section 4 of the Broadcast Code regarding the song ‘Amatz’ by Shanti Dope in all its member radio and TV stations,” NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said in his June 7 letter to KBP Chairman Herman Z. Basbaño.
The NTC said it recognized Shanti Dope’s “freedom of expression,” however, it is not “absolute if it contravenes public interest, public order, public safety and the general welfare of the children and youth.”
It then cited Article 15, Section4 of the Broadcaster’s Code of the Philippines which states that: “Songs with lyrics or messages that are vulgar, indecent, promote substance abuse, gender discrimination, racism, satanism, violence or sexual perversion or demeans any member of any sector of society shall not be played.”
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), for its part, welcomed the NTC’s directive, saying it pushed for the banning of the song for its double meaning.
“The song, as a whole, seemingly enjoins the public that recreational use of illegal drugs like marijuana and shabu is harmless,” the anti-drug agency stressed.
In May, PDEA Chief Aaron Aquino wrote a letter to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-Aawit (OPM), and broadcast giant ABS-CBN to prevent the airing of “Amatz” and its promotion in the different media stations in the country, claiming that the song promotes the use of marijuana.
[READ: Shanti Dope’s camp responds to PDEA’s move to ban ‘Amatz’]
The rapper’s management, however, denied PDEA’s claim, stressing that the song refers to the “natural high” caused by music and creativity and not by any form of drugs.
The Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) had also come to the defense of the rapper and told PDEA to focus on addressing the country’s drug problem instead of “wasting” resources to ban a rap song.
