THE movie, television and broadcast media have made their names very familiar with the masses, and so movie actors and actresses and other denizens of show business have successfully wormed into the circles of power, especially in the executive and legislative departments of government.
The movie and TV screens have long been the entry points of many politicians to becoming town and city councilors, barangay officials, mayors, governors, representatives and senators — a President no less — so we have enough reason to suppose that the film industry should be well developed by now, in terms of artistic talents, distribution and marketing.
Sadly, it is not. The same problems dog the movie industry for the longest time: limited market, cartelization of the movie theaters, high cost of production, government regulation of content, etc.
‘With the formal organization of the Film Academy of the Philippines… perhaps the movie industry can make some progress in the area of marketing and international exposure.’
The problem is that leaders of the movie industry who have reached high offices at the House of Representatives and the Senate have almost nothing to show by way of accomplishments that directly redound to progress in the industry. With their accession to Congress, these showbiz leaders easily adapted to the ways of politicians such as hefty commissions in infrastructure and other projects, and conveniently forgot their showbiz roots.
The Eddie Garcia Law, which purportedly was made to uplift the rights and privileges of workers in the TV and film industries, was even criticized by some movie workers because of its pro-producer and TV networks bias.
Members of the industry are hopeful that a recent move by President Bongbong Marcos to transfer the administrative supervision of the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) from the Department of Education to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will make a dent.
Executive Order 70, signed by the President on October 2 through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, said the initiative was meant to strengthen the FAP and further develop the local movie industry.
“To maximize the full potential of the Philippine film industry, it is imperative to ensure that world-class Filipino talents in the field of motion picture arts and sciences are given due recognition and assistance by the national government,” the executive order reads.
Marcos has recognized the need to strengthen the FAP and further define its duties and functions to complement the programs, activities, and projects of government bodies involved in the promotion and development of the Philippine film industry.
Created in 2006, the FAP, under DTI supervision, will be governed by a board of trustees to be chaired by the FAP director general and co-chaired by the trade secretary.
Members include a representative of the Office of the President, the labor secretary, the director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and two private sector representatives of reputable guilds, organizations and associations in the film industry.
With the formal organization of the Film Academy of the Philippines and its supervision by the DTI, perhaps the movie industry can make some progress in the area of marketing and international exposure.
