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Sotto reminds FDCP: Production not within your mandate


Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday said the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) should not meddle with the production process of movies in the country amid the pandemic because they are not mandated to do so.

In a virtual interview, Sotto bared that movie and events industry stakeholders approached him to clarify this issue on the FDCP overstepping its mandate and allegedly requiring the submission of shooting schedules, list of participants, and even cost of production.

"Ang mandate ng FDCP are for films thereafter. Wala silang pakialam sa post-production or production, walang pakialam," the senator, who was also a former actor, said.

"It is nowhere in the mandate of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. And why did they (stakeholders) approach me? I am the author and the principal sponsor of the creation of the FDCP and therefore they were asking me, 'Ano ba ito? Nasa power ba nila ito na makialam sa amin?' Wala," he added.

"So nilinaw ko at pinaalam ko sa kanila, medyo huwag tayong nago-overstep at huwag tayong, ika nga ay hindi naman natin trabaho eh pinapasukan natin, nababagabag 'yung mga movie producers," Sotto further said.

Last month, several groups of artists and filmmakers denounced the “overreaching” joint administrative order (JAO) of the Health and Labor Departments, and the FDCP for the resumption of production shoots amid the pandemic.

“You have to report and submit seven forms, seven days prior to the shoot, centralized to FDCP, including information on budget, which is really intrusive,” said Paolo Villaluna, president of the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, Inc.

On the other hand, FDCP chairperson Liza Diño explained that the JAO only sought to ensure the health and safety of film production crews amid the COVID-19 pandemic. — DVM, GMA News

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