CBCP wishes restraint in gay-themed 'My Husband's Lover'

The GMA Network program “My Husband's Lover” has prompted the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to call on television producers and writers to be discerning in the themes used in shows, especially if the program's topic deals with public morals and values. Now on its third week of airing, “My Husband's Lover,” deals with a homosexual-extramarital affair. “Malaking pag-aaral ang dapat na gawin sa mga bagong teleserye, tulad ng 'My Husband’s Lover' na sana maisa-alang-alang na nasa isang bansa tayo na mayroong kultura na pinapahalagahan ang usaping moral o mga bagay na saklaw ng moralidad," said CBCP youth commission executive secretary, Fr. Conegondo Garganta, in a Radio Veritas report. Furthermore, Garganta said that networks themselves should exercise some restraint on programs that deal with sensitive topics. Garganta also suggested that there ought to be guidelines that govern the themes used in programs that minors can watch on TV. "My Husband's Lover" has been widely lauded, especially in the gay community, for breaking gay stereotypes and daring to tackle what has been nearly a taboo on primetime television, a love triangle involving straight leading men playing gay lovers. Meanwhile, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), through a series of tweets, said that it would hear complaints again—t “My Husband's Lover” if there were specific scenes that the public found inappropriate, given the rating. "The SPG (strong parental guidance) rating given to My Husband's Lover is always subject to self-regulation and compliance with law," the MTRCB tweeted Tuesday night. Garganta conceded that a democratic society does provide for freedom of expression. However, the freedom should be channeled towards something more than just making a profit. —DVM, GMA News