They say that life begins at 40. If you asked me in the past, this means having a celebration that's bigger than my usual ones. So before the pandemic, I had originally planned on something big to mark this milestone.

But having lived through this crisis for more than a year, like most of us, perspective changes, and what you usually consider as essential become non-essential. Instead of big events, you see the value of personal contact and intimate gatherings with people you value and love. Instead of just fun, you look for something with more meaning.

I knew that I had always wanted to do something significant when I celebrated my 40th birthday. Something intimate and special, with people that matter and would have a new meaning to your life.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out that the launch of "Bakuna Nights para sa Film at Entertainment Workers" will be held on the eve of my birthday. It was like a birthday gift you never expected to receive. A wish that came true in the most wonderful way.

"Bakuna Nights para sa Film at Entertainment Workers" is a project of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in partnership with the Quezon City (QC) Government's #QCProtekTODO program. Since January 2021, the FDCP has been reaching out to government partners to find ways to support the vaccination of my sector. In my previous column, I shared how important vaccination is toward the recovery of the film industry which is still barely on its feet.

I remember the day when the government announced the A4 Priority Group for vaccination, which includes film and audiovisual (AV) industry workers. I texted Mayor Joy Belmonte, a good friend and partner in a lot of FDCP's initiatives, if there's a way to collaborate in assisting the vaccination of our film workers. Mayor Joy, who has had her vision to make QC the City of the Stars and Film Capital of the Philippines, has done great strides in providing support for the Philippine film industry.

"Liza, we'll take care of them," was her actual text reply to me.

Right then and there, we got teams from both agencies to coordinate and "Bakuna Nights for Film and Entertainment Workers" was born. Bakuna Nights is the city's evening vaccination schedule for daily wage earners and those who are unable to take a leave of absence. And with our partnership, we identified a night exclusively for our workers.

Our FDCP National Registry (NR) has over 5,000 workers registered in our national database, with almost 1,500 of them based in Quezon City. The first Bakuna Nights session on June 24 was for 500 registrants who were contacted and confirmed by our hardworking NR team via a call and text brigade. A total of 477 industry workers were inoculated, and 1,000 more vaccines are committed in the coming days.

A mini gathering

Seeing our workers at the Quezon City Hall vaccination site during Thursday's launch of Bakuna Nights was such a heartwarming moment. These are workers who have been struggling to make ends meet since the pandemic. Workers who are literally on „buwis-buhay" mode every time they go to a production shoot. It was humbling to see them in good spirits, feeling positive, and raring to go back to "normal" despite the obstacles they have faced. Truly, the only way for the industry to recover is through mass vaccination because our peculiar work setup requires close contact without personal protective equipment.

With strict observance of health and safety protocols during the first Bakuna Nights schedule, the program launch turned into a mini-reunion among industry members such as workers and freelancers, press people, and the FDCP staff who were onsite to assist the workers and help facilitate the vaccination process.

Of course, our dear Mayor Joy graced the event and welcomed the workers whom she recognized for being one of the main reasons why QC is regarded as the City of Stars. We can't thank Mayor Joy enough for ensuring the vaccination of our workers at their most convenient time.

The joy of public service

Since it was dinner time, we set up a lugaw station and served the "essential" food to workers waiting in line. My husband, Ice Seguerra, who has always been truly supportive of my efforts, gave me a birthday gift - a free performance together with his band, The Pogi Boys, to serenade our workers. I was so grateful to share this experience of serving our workers with him.

The FDCP Chair is given a birthday salubong at the launch of ‘Bakuna Nights para sa Film at Entertainment Workers’ on June 24 (above) where her partner Ice Seguerra serenaded those who were waiting to be vaccinated (below)

A surprise segment during the program organized by Ice and my staff was the singing of "Happy Birthday!" It was overwhelming to receive warm greetings and words of thanks from our workers. This is my kind of celebration. Simple but meaningful. With a lot of hope filling our entire evening.

Our hearts are full. I saw the joy from our FDCP team as workers came by their booth to express their thanks. Government work can sometimes be a thankless job so any message of appreciation goes a long way, including posts from workers who supported the first Bakuna Nights session.

Audio engineer Justin Santos, whose staff were vaccinated on Thursday, expressed his gratitude to the FDCP for its "continued support for the entertainment industry." He continued in a Facebook post, "Remember that we have to get as many people vaccinated if we want to get back to doing what we love again."

Geeyan San Juan-Topacio from the live events industry thanked Mayor Joy and the FDCP.

"Pabakuna na tayong lahat para makabalik na tayo sa normal. Huwag nang kabahan, mas masakit pa kagat ng langgam, pramis," assured San Juan-Topacio in a Facebook post.

Birthdays for me have always given me a sense of personal achievement with me growing as an individual, and in my adult years, as an artist, a mother, a wife, and a leader and public servant. But this 40th for me has been truly the most meaningful yet and I cannot imagine spending it other than how I spent it with the Bakuna Nights launch.

'Bakuna Nights' is made possible by the partnership of the Film Development Council of the Philippines and Quezon City Government through the #QCProtekTODO program.

Amid the pandemic, it is my true honor to be part of the synergy between the government and industry to ensure the welfare of our workers. This gives me hope and fuels my purpose for public service because it proves that we can unite and make things happen such as working towards the vision of having our workers vaccinated for the recovery of the Filipino film and AV industry.

The QC Bakuna Nights is open to FDCP NR-registered and non-registered workers (Just send your full name, mobile number, email, and job title to [email protected]).

The FDCP has pending partnerships with other local government units so that more film and AV workers may be vaccinated.

With Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (right)

Notes from the Chair
The Sunday Times Magazine  - The Manila Times

Notes from the Chair is part of the Arts Awake section of The Sunday Times Magazine published by The Manila Times. Click HERE to view the article on The Manila Times website.