Senatorial aspirant and former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista said on Thursday he welcomes the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to finally allow local cinemas to reopen on November 10 after months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Herbert, more popularly known as “Bistek” in the local showbiz scene, first made a name for himself as an actor/comedian before throwing his hat into and making an indelible mark in public service. He is such an industry stalwart that seeing movie workers lose their jobs from cinema closure during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic broke his heart.

"I am so happy that the movie industry is slowly but surely rising from the effects of the pandemic. Pero sana inuna nila ang local movies. I just noticed na puro foreign films ang unang ipapalabas this month," said Herbert, during a lunch with the entertainment press in Quezon City.

Herbert added: "Ang daming nakaimbak na local films waiting to be shown in theaters. So I hope the government will consider this."

With the scheduled theater reopening on Nov. 10, Herbert now urges the public to go out and support local productions that braved protocol restraints to provide the much-needed entertainment.

"One of the most affected industries in the world is the entertainment sector. Ang daming nawalan ng hanap-buhay dahil sa pandemya. So ngayon, sana, suportahan naman natin ang muling pagbangon ng pelikulang Pilipino," said Herbert.

This early, Herbert's sights are also trained on public support for movies that will make up this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) line-up.

Needless to say, the local TV and movie industry is closest to Herbert’s heart. As such, bills that would benefit the industry and its workers will be on top of his priorities once elected to the Senate in the 2022 polls.

In addition to this, Herbert is poised as well to push for bills and programs that would cater to and benefit locally produced products, such as food, fabric, etc., that would boost and strengthen overall national pride.

At the onset of the “new normal” campaign season, Herbert will put together interesting vlogs that would feature the best albeit oft-neglected aspects of Pinoy culture and everyday life for the infotainment of not just the Boomers and Gen Zs but more importantly, the Alpha generation as well.