Former MTRCB head Manoling Morato passes away

Manuel “Manoling” Morato, former head of the Movie and TV Review and Classifications Board (MTRCB) and board director of the Philippines Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), passed away on Friday, July 30, at the age of 87.

Morato reportedly died of COVID-19.

The MTRCB sends its condolences to the family of its former chairperson by posting a tribute on Facebook.

“Your contributions to history, the national discourse and the lives of the Filipino people will remain ever large in our hearts,” it wrote.

Morato headed the MTRCB following the ouster of former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

His conservative and moralist stand didn't sit well to some members of the entertainment industry and progressive viewers.

Under his stewardship, the MTRCB banned films such as Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and local movies Dear Uncle Sam and Lino Brocka's Orapronobis.

Morato ran for senator in 1992 and 2001 but lost. He also ran in the 1998 presidential race but lost to Joseph Estrada.

The controversial and frank Morato also hosted a weekly talk show, Dial M, with former actress Maggie dela Rivera.

Meanwhile, here are the other celebrities and popular personalities that we lost this year.