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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Incentives for Pinoy athletes needed for creatives, too --- Rep. de Venecia

Incentives for Pinoy athletes needed for creatives, too --- Rep. de Venecia

Published Nov 9, 2022 02:36 pm

Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Christopher de Venecia on Wednesday, Nov. 9, questioned the lack of government-provided incentives for Filipino creatives who have won prestigious international awards as he compared how athletes have gotten benefits for achieving the same.

(Unsplash/Manila Bulletin)

The lawmaker, who is also the founder of Manila-based theater company The Sandbox Collective and the grandchild of the builder of Sampaguita Pictures, led the deliberation of the Special Committee on Creative Industry and Performing Arts, which he chairs.

Wednesday’s agenda formed a Technical Working Group (TWG) for the consolidation of House Bill (HB) No. 1281, or the Creative Philippines Act, HB 1934, or An Act Granting Cash Incentives to Winning Filmmakers, Film Production Entities, Literary Writers, Artists, and Performance in the Creative Sector, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes, and HB 4540, or An Act Protecting the Rights and Welfare of Filipino Artists, Providing for Benefits, and For Other Purposes, into a substitute bill.

Camarines Sur Reps. Luis Raymund “LRay” F. Villafuerte, Jr., Miguel Luis Villafuerte, Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Nicolas Enciso VIII authored HB 1934, while Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael “PM” Vargas proposed HB 4540.

Their proposed measures seek to provide cash and other non-monetary benefits to Filipino creatives who won in international-giving bodies.

During the deliberation, the Pangasinan lawmaker admitted his proposal was patterned after Republic Act 10699, or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.

“The intended stakeholder for these incentives are really those who were able to win awards abroad. Again, we patterned this after the Athletes Incentives Act. If there are incentives for athletes, why can’t we have incentives for creatives?,” he asked.

Similar to the law for athletes’ benefits, De Venecia explained that his proposed measure would seek lifetime benefits for Filipino creatives.

If the proposed measure becomes law, the creatives will receive P10 million for first prize winners, P5 million for second prize winners, and P2 million for third prize winners.

And while he hailed the House of Representatives for adopting resolutions that recognized the feats of the country’s creative industry stalwarts, the lawmaker believes it is time “to step a notch higher and show our support for our Filipino creatives in a much more meaningful and impactful way.”

“Granting financial rewards to our excellent Filipino creatives would incentivize more Filipinos to enter the creative field and produce world-class works. It would also lift the spirits of winning creatives and encourage them to give even greater honor to the country through their craft,” he furthered.

Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tirso Cruz III agreed that there are no “individual cash awards being given out to a certain film or project that involves actors, directors, producers, cameraman.”

However, he recommended that the bill specify which international awards and film festivals will be considered for the incentives.

De Venecia’s measure named the Academy Awards (also known as the Oscar Awards), Venice International Film Festival, Cannes International Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Game Awards (Game Development), World Architecture Festival, INSIDE World Festival of Interiors, Nobel Prize for Literature, and Tony Awards for theater.

The benefits outlined in De Venecia’s proposal would include: 20 percent discount from establishments and theaters, free medical and dental consultations in government hospitals, coverage in the National Health Insurance Program, a comprehensive social security program, priority in existing livelihood programs, and priority in national housing programs.

It also pushed for scholarship, retirement, and death benefits for the Filipino creatives and cash incentives for their coaches.

Related Tags

TIRSO CRUZ III creatives Technical Working Group Christopher de Venecia house bill no. 1281 Republic act no. 10699 FDCP
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