‘It’s a work of fiction:’ Marcos dismisses 'Barbie' map controversy

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has brushed off the controversy surrounding the live-action film "Barbie" and its scene allegedly alluding to China’s delineation of the South China Sea.

Marcos did not cite specific arguments for or against the showing of the controversial scene nor comment on the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB)’s order to blur the fictional map to avoid misinterpretations.

“It’s a good movie, they said,” Marcos said in Filipino as quoted in a press release by the Presidential Communications Office.

“Of course, they were saying that there was a boundary line. My answer to them was: what do you expect? It’s a work of fiction,” the president said at the sidelines of an event in Northern Samar. It is unclear who Marcos was referring to.

MTRCB greenlighted the cinematic distribution of the film this week after it found that there was no actual scene explicitly showing the nine-dash line used by Beijing to assert its claim over parts of the South China Sea. 

“Please note that the dash lines attached to a landmass labeled 'Asia' is not U-shaped, and has eight (8) dots/dashes instead of nine (9),” the MTRCB said in its decision in a letter response to Sen. Francis Tolentino.

This came after the MTRCB studied the film in two "meticulous" screenings and consulted the Department of Foreign Affairs.

However, MTRCB has also requested the film's distributor, Warner Bros., “to blur the controversial lines in order to avoid further misinterpretations.”