The next Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) might be handled by a new group because of recent events that shook the movie industry. PEP.ph said Winnie Castelo, chair of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development, has approved Laguna District 2 Representative, Congressman Dan Fernandez’s motion to have a technical working group who will handle the next MMFF.
“I move for the creation of a technical working group that deals exactly with the rules and regulations that will govern the MMFF 2016; and thereby, abolishing all the committees that were created under the MMFF 2015,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez added that the formation of the group will just be a “short-term solution” for the anomalous system of choosing the eight MMFF entries and nominees without any standards and deliberation.
Buhay Party List Representative Lito Atienza also stated his position after hearing all the testimonies of resource persons who attended the investigation. He said “Unless we reform the festival rules, ako ngayon po ay nagsasabi na hindi ako magmi-miyembro ng (Dominic) Du Festival. We can all now see the truth that the film festival is being controlled by Mr. Du.
“So I move that we now terminate the discussion of “Honor Thy Father,” and go deeper into the problems of the festival so that we may craft a law that will reform a film festival,” he added.
“We are all committed to it, but we want a change in it’s very structure, so that the genuine intention of helping the film industry is accomplished,” he said.
This is based on the Congressional hearing held at the Batasang Pambansa Complex on Wednesday, January 13, 2016.
Even Northern Samar District 2 Representative Emil Ong commented that it was “very obvious may bias” in the last MMFF. He also added “what we need is fairness for all, protect the MMFF in order that we can really help our local film industry, wherein many people are independent.”
Fernandez, on the other hand, clarified that there is no provision under the R.A 7924 or “The Law Creating the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), that assigns the government agency to head the MMFF.”
In relation to this, R.A. 9167 or “An Act Creating The Film Development Council of The Philippines, Defining Its Powers and Functions, Appropriating Funds, Therefore, and For Other Purposes” in forming the technical working group for the MMFF 2016..
Fernandez also said, “The power and function of this law according to Section 3, ‘to establish organize, operate and maintain local and international film festivals,exhibitions, and similar activities. In other words, we already have laws regarding this, the problem is, we are not implementing this law that we in Congress approved.”
In the end, Castelo agreed with the motion of Fernandez regarding the formation of the technical working group.
“Let the two laws, as enunciated by Fernandez, be dealt with and discussed in the technical working group we just created,” he said.
