PNoy names Ateneo law professor as new MTRCB chief

Published December 6, 2012 4:23pm

President Benigno Aquino III has appointed Ateneo law professor Eugenio 'Toto' Villareal as the new chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.

Eugenio H. Villareal -- file photo from Ateneo Law School website

Villareal assumed the post late Wednesday afternoon after receiving his appointment papers dated November 28. He takes over the post vacated by Grace Poe-Llamanzares, who will be seeking a Senate seat in the 2013 polls. Movie director Emmanuel Borlaza was earlier tapped to temporarily head the board.

“I received the appointment dated 28 November yesterday [Wednesday], and assumed office late afternoon, also yesterday,” Villareal said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Villareal has been an MTRCB board member since 2010.

Asked what he intends to do as MTRCB chair, he said the board wanted to have an impact on the common tao by promoting “matalinong panonood.”

He said they want to empower every Juan and Juana to know if a movie or television show does not go against Filipino values. He said they will do it not only by reviewing but also by information campaigns.

“Finally, we wish to engage all networks and film producers in this mission, knowing that better content means a better entertainment industry,” he said.

Poe-Llamanzares said Villareal “is perfect for the job. He is a Filipino movie fan and I'm talking commercial as well as indie movies.”

“He is also a successful lawyer. At the same time, he appreciates popular Pinoy culture. He even wrote a thesis once on the Escalera brothers of Iskul Bukol. He is also a professor of law at Ateneo,” she said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Also appointed for terms expiring on Sept. 30, 2013 are:

Vice Chairperson Emmanuel Borlaza

Board Members

Robert Andrews
Ma. LourdesBautista
Jaime Alan Bengzon
Patrocinia Datu Binungcal
Manuel Buising
Maria Gabriela Roldan Concepcion
Francia Conrado
Nicasio Cruz
Maria Marta Ines Dayrit
Teresita Daza
Noel del Prado
Catherine Guballa
Carmencita Guerrero
Mario Hernando
Marra Lanot
Eric Henry Joseph Mallonga
Anna-Lissa Martinez
Ma. Carmen Musngi
Leah Navarro
Cecilia Nubla
Jay Revestir
Jose Emeterio Romero IV
Elizabeth Rose Siguin-Reyna
Rommel Milo Sogueco
Gladys Sommereux
Benedicto Tarnate Sr
Jose Antonio Veloso
Teresita Villarama
Alfred Yuson

Executive Director Victoriano Muring Jr.

Who is Villareal?

According to the Ateneo Law School website, Villareal teaches Legal Philosophy, Legal Technique & Logic, Partnership and Agency, and Legal Counseling. He also holds a professorial chair granted by the Nippon Foundation.

Villareal is a resident Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) lecturer of the Ateneo Center for Continuing Legal Education and Research as well as other similar institutions for Legal Writing, Legal Ethics, Pre-Trial Skills, and Trial Skills. He is also a lecturer for Civil Procedure and Evidence at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Law.

The website also said Villareal is a Lecturer for Philosophy of Law and Jurisprudence of the Philippine Judicial Academy (Philja) and the Values for Development Foundation.

He is the founding partner of the law firm Escudero Marasigan Vallente & E.H. Villareal (EMSAVVIL Law), where he handles Litigation and Labor referrals.

He was a Consultant for the Capacity Building for Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) Project of the World Bank-GRP (Department of Finance), as well as for lecturer-consultant at the Ateneo Center for Continuing Legal Education and Research for the Department of Trade and Industry's Project for Uniform and Simplified Rules of Adjudication. He was also a Legal Writing Specialist-Consultant for the Rule of Law Effectiveness (ROLE) Program, USAID. — RSJ, GMA News

Tags: mtrcb, aquinoadministration