MTRCB asked to shield Philippines vs anti-Islam films

MANILA -- A member of the House of Representatives on Friday sought the strict monitoring of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) on films and documentaries that may ignite religious violence similar to what happened in Libya.

Western Samar Representative Mel Senen Sarmiento said the Philippine government should take the necessary steps to insulate the country from similar violence after a United States envoy was killed over a film insulting the Prophet Mohammad.

Christopher Stevens, the US ambassador to Libya, and three other American citizens were killed when gunmen attacked and burned the US consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi, the center of uprising against former strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

"We have to prevent such kind of violence provoked by transgressions against religious beliefs. In this case involving our Muslim brothers," Sarmiento said.

Reports said that clips of the film called "Mohammad, Prophet of Muslims," had been circulating for weeks before the latest violent protests resulted to the attack on the US consulate.

US President Barack Obama vowed justice as he condemned the attack.

In a statement released Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is "outraged" over the "senseless act of violence" in Libya.

"This was a serious violation of long standing norms of international law with deep historical roots that diplomatic and consular agents are not to be harmed and that the diplomatic and consular premises are inviolable," the statement read. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)