AN ARTLETS alumnus and former The Flame adviser has been appointed member of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), a government agency that reviews films and shows for audience appropriateness.
Thomasian journalist Nestor Cuartero was appointed to the board last Dec. 2, according to a letter signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
Cuartero, who taught in UST’s media studies department for over 20 years, vowed to be objective in reviewing films.
“As a journalism practitioner and academic, the sense of fair play, sense of objectivity in assessing and classifying films, that’s the journalistic background that I hope to bring to the board,” Cuartero told The Flame.
“My attitude is to be supportive of both the filmmakers, the film industry and on the other hand keep a balancing act with the MTRCB,” he added.
Cuartero will join the board members in upholding ethical standards and in supporting the film and television industry until Sept. 30, 2026.
The newly appointed MTRCB member obtained his bachelor’s degree in Journalism at UST in 1974. He taught media studies subjects at the University from 1997 to 2018, during which he also served as The Flame’s publication adviser and coordinator of the Journalism program.
When he was a student, he served as circle and associate editor of The Varsitarian and news writer of The Flame.
Cuartero previously worked at KBS Public Affairs as a broadcast journalist and the Bulletin Publishing Corporation as an editor until his retirement in 2018. He remains a columnist for Manila Bulletin and Tempo, mostly covering entertainment.
The Artlets alumnus is also the author of essay anthologies “At Large, At Leisure (2008),” “PH Movie Confidential (2022)” and “Easy Listening (2023).”
Among his notable awards are the Grand Prize in Premio de Periodismo by Instituto Cervantes in 2000, Binhi Awards’ Environment Journalist of the Year in 2010 and the Philippines Graphic Nick Joaquin Literary Awards SALUTE for three consecutive years from 2023 to 2025. F
