The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) on Friday, May 29, appealed to legislators to include the audio-visual (AV) content industry as among the beneficiaries of the COVID-19 economic stimulus package that they are preparing.

During the Senate finance committee’s hearing on the proposed economic stimulus plans post-COVID-19, FDCP chairman and chief executive officer Liza Diño-Seguerra said over 860,000 workers in the creative sector have been displaced by the novel coronavirus outbreak and the restrictions imposed by the government on “non-essential” businesses.

“This industry, while we consider as non-essential, has been integral in our daily lives, and now we are in danger of significant collapse without government aid and support,” said Diño-Seguerra, who enumerated the industry’s role in keeping the people “sane and pretty much entertained” amid the isolation and lockdown orders.

“When COVID-19 hit the world, not only the audiences are affected, but more so the thousands of workers in this industry…We were the first to be cancelled, and we are going to be last to recover because our industry constitutes mass gathering,” she lamented.

Citing a recent survey by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Diño said arts and recreation businesses topped the list of the most-impacted sector in the COVID-19 pandemic. The tourism industry was ranked second.

She said the government has so far lost more P100 billion in revenues from the AV industry, which contributes to 6.52 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

The industry, she stressed, is not only comprised of the film and television sector, but also advertising, animation and live events. There are at least 11,0000 micro, small and medium enterprises and eight major companies that employ hundreds and thousands of workers.

“Now it is estimated that more than 860,000 workers in both content and live audio-visual industry have been displaced because of the pandemic, most of whom do not have financial recourse,” Diño-Seguerra told the Senate panel led by Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara.

The FDCP proposed to the Senate finance committee some interventions to support the AV content industry, which include a “fair share” of testing kits for AV workers in local government units and guaranteed loans for the MSMEs.

Diño-Seguerra also asked for wage subsidies especially for freelancers, who make up 70 to 80 percent of the industry, for a duration of six months since strict distancing and health protocols would still limit their employment.

According to the FDCP chairwoman, AV industry workers “fell into the cracks of the system” as they were not included in the government social amelioration programs. Government census also did not identify them as members of the informal sector.

This was the reason why the FDCP decided initiated its own cash assistance program for freelancers, “but kulang pa din po (it is still not enough)”.

Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Risa Hontiveros, Imee Marcos, Grace Poe have expressed support for the industry’s inclusion in the government’s stimulus plans.

Source: https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/05/29/include-film-workers-in-covid-19-aid-p...