Manila mayor threatens to close movie theaters showing ‘The Da Vinci Code’

The local government of Manila yesterday threatened to close movie theaters in the city that would not comply with the City Council resolution prohibiting the showing of the controversial movie "The Da Vinci Code."

Geronimo Tolentino, Manila City Hall-Business Permits Office (BPO) chief, said he received instructions from Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza to circulate an order banning the showing of the film in Manila theaters.

Atienza, who returned to the country after two weeks in the United States, immediately tackled the movie.

"The mayor is against its showing because it is against the Christian faith and it destroys the faith," Tolentino explained.

"Right now, our BPO inspectors and members of the Manila police are on stand-by and waiting to serve the letter to all cinemas in the city. There are about 10 cinemas in the city," he added.

Meanwhile, Judge Romulo Lopez, of Branch 34 of the Manila City Regional Trial Court, deferred the issuance of a temporary restraining order requested by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante who wanted to ban the movie in the country.

Abante, who represents the Bible Believers League for Morality and Democracy (BBLMD), the umbrella organization of 4,000 Baptist churches in the country, filed an injuction for a TRO against Columbia Pictures, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) and MTRCB chairperson Ma. Consoliza Laguardia.

By next week, the group intends to amend their complaint to widen its scope. The new petition will not only seek to ban the film in movie theaters but would also seek to prohibit its showing on television and the selling of the book from which the film was based.