--- description: Philippine authorities announced Tuesday there was “no clear nor outright depiction” of the controversial nine-dash line in the film. title: 'Barbie' Approved in the Philippines Despite Map Controversy image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte080ded0a5f46947/698a3e8d457a52ee90d67c14/barbie-final.webp?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Philippines](/tag/philippines/) ## Philippines Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _Barbie_ Won’t Be Banned in the Philippines Despite Controversy Over Fictional Map by [Koh Ewe](/author/koh-ewe/) and [Chad de Guzman](/author/chad-de-guzman/) Jul 11, 2023 1:00 PM CUT  A still image from 'Barbie' that includes a fictional map, which has caused controversy in Southeast Asia. A still image from 'Barbie' that includes a fictional map, which has caused controversy in Southeast Asia.Warner Bros. Pictures by [Koh Ewe](/author/koh-ewe/) and [Chad de Guzman](/author/chad-de-guzman/) Jul 11, 2023 1:00 PM CUT After a weeklong review involving “two meticulous screenings” and deliberations across several departments of government, authorities in the Philippines have decided to allow the [summer blockbuster _Barbie_](https://time.com/6289864/barbie-time-cover-story/ "undefined") to be released in the country. “Rest assured that the Board has exhausted all possible resources to arrive at this decision,” the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) wrote in a letter on Tuesday, explaining that it “has no basis to ban the film,” though it has asked the movie’s distributor Warner Bros. to blur part of a scene that could be misinterpreted. _Barbie_ has lately been under intense scrutiny over the appearance of a map that some have alleged depicts the “nine-dash line”—a maritime border [rejected](https://time.com/4402451/south-china-sea-ruling-tribunal-philippines/ "undefined") by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague but continuously promoted by China to claim virtually all of the South China Sea. The screening approval in the Philippines comes a day before the seventh anniversary of The Hague ruling and a week after Vietnam [announced](https://time.com/6292066/barbie-ban-nine-dash-line-china/ "undefined") that it would ban the release of _Barbie_ over its display of the controversial map—which also sparked [U.S. lawmakers](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/07/gop-declares-war-on-barbie-00105154 "undefined") to criticize filmmakers for promoting Chinese propaganda. **Read More:** [_Barbie Is Just the Latest Hollywood Film to Get Caught in the Crossfire of Asian Geopolitics_](https://time.com/6292066/barbie-ban-nine-dash-line-china/ "undefined")  A still image from 'Barbie' that includes a fictional map, which has caused controversy in Southeast Asia. Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. issued a [statement](https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/warner-bros-defends-barbie-films-world-map-child-like-2023-07-06/ "undefined") last week describing the map in question as a “child-like crayon drawing” that was “not intended to make any type of statement.” The MTRCB said in its letter—which was addressed to Francis Tolentino, a Philippine senator and vocal proponent of a _Barbie_ ban—that there was “no clear nor outright depiction” of the nine-dash line, unlike in other films that have been previously banned. It also stated that the map marking in the film was not U-shaped and had only eight dashes. ”Regardless of whether they think this is an eight-, seven-, or nine-dash line,” Tolentino, who said he disagrees with but ultimately respects the MTRCB decision, told local media outlets in a video statement, “what we see here is China’s continued claims of Philippine waters.” _Barbie_ is set to be released in the Philippines on July 19 and in the United States on July 21\. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6293650/barbie-ban-philippines-nine-dash-line/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6293650/barbie-ban-philippines-nine-dash-line/"},"headline":"Barbie Won’t Be Banned in the Philippines Despite Controversy Over Fictional Map","datePublished":"2023-07-11T13:00:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:56.928Z","description":"Philippine authorities announced Tuesday there was “no clear nor outright depiction” of the controversial nine-dash line in the film.","url":"https://time.com/6293650/barbie-ban-philippines-nine-dash-line/","keywords":["Philippines"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte080ded0a5f46947/698a3e8d457a52ee90d67c14/barbie-final.webp?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Koh Ewe","jobTitle":"Koh Ewe (Koyu) was a reporter for TIME based in Singapore.","url":"https://time.com/author/koh-ewe/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte080ded0a5f46947/698a3e8d457a52ee90d67c14/barbie-final.webp?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"barbie-map","caption":"barbie-map","creditText":"Warner Bros. 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