A party-list lawmaker said cutting down local and national taxes on production costs for both local and foreign films would bring ticket prices down and a “step in the right direction” to make more people go out to watch movies.
BHW Rep. Angelica Natasha Co said watching movies and stage plays should be valued more for their economic impact and be considered necessities that benefit families and promote mental and public health, not luxury activities.
Co, however, pointed out that current ticket prices are “prohibitive”, while Filipinos are “price-sensitive”.
“Filipino productions have yet to fully harness the power of online platforms and online access to the masses is limited because internet speeds and coverage are still slow and low for most Filipinos.”
“Filipino productions have yet to fully harness the power of online platforms and online access to the masses is limited because internet speeds and coverage are still slow and low for most Filipinos. Therefore, in-person viewing of movies in theaters and plays on stage is still the main mode available to them,” the legislator said.
The lady legislator added getting people out of their homes and returning to what they did before the pandemic, including watching movies, will revive the entertainment industry and the economy.
“If there are no audiences, producers will not make those movies and stage plays,” she stressed.
Co said banning or taxing foreign films, tv series, and other creative media output are not the strategies that will create opportunities for Filipino creative talents and entrepreneurs.
She said building upon and supporting the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (Republic Act 11904) will help the Philippine creative industry sector grow and develop into something that is globally competitive.
“The strong following of Korean artists among Filipinos should be taken as a set of signs of what Filipinos want to see in any kind of creative output.”
Co added that the strong following of Korean artists among Filipinos should be taken as a set of signs of what Filipinos want to see in any kind of creative output, whether by Filipinos, Koreans, or any other nationalities.
“The South Korean strategies are among our benchmarks to strengthen the Filipino creative industries. The South Koreans are our friends, not our enemies,” she stressed.
Co said the country must swiftly transition out of the pandemic and reopen the economy to address the immediate problem of unemployment and underemployment among performing artists.
“Reopening businesses and school campuses which shut down during the pandemic is crucial to getting our economy working again at full power,” she said.
Co said RA 11904 embodies the sets of strategies designed to give jobs, opportunities, and benefits to performing artists and other creative talents.
“The Pinoy audience is telling all of us the kind of quality they want in movies, TV series, and music. They have also been clamoring for strong support for Filipino creatives, support from the government, the private sector, and civil society, but often their clamor falls on deaf ears and blind vision,” she said.
“But RA 11904 is proof that the 18th Congress was actively listening and had a clear vision of what was needed,” Co added.
The new law, she said, addresses the needs of all the sectors of creatives in the country.
“It is a new solution, so I ask that we all give it time to work. Let us support the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), the lead implementing agency,” Co said.
The law mandates the promotion and development of Philippine creative industries by protecting and strengthening the rights and capacities of creative firms, artists, artisans, creators, workers, indigenous cultural communities, content providers, and other stakeholders in the creative industries.
It also calls for the formation of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council, under the auspices of the DTI.
The law will likewise provide centralized state support to creative industries, unlike the current system where state support is sporadic.
In his first State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the workers in the creative industry are the ones who give soul to the Filipino identity and therefore need protection.
