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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Up to P1-M cash reward sought for films, actors who won international awards

Up to P1-M cash reward sought for films, actors who won international awards

Published Sep 30, 2025 10:34 pm

At A Glance

  • Bicol-based congressmen are pursuing a law that would grant cash incentives and other benefits to filmmakers, writers, and actors who have given honor to the Philippines via their creative works that won international awards.
(Unsplash)
(Unsplash)


Bicol-based congressmen are pursuing a law that would grant cash incentives and other benefits to filmmakers, writers, and actors who have given honor to the Philippines via their creative works that won international awards.
Pending before the House Committee on Creative Industries is House Bill (HB) No.3743, which the four lawmakers have introduced in the current 20th Congress.
It seeks to grant a tax-free cash prize of P500,000 to P1 million each to Filipino creative artists and their works that have won top awards in international film festivals, as determined by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and other arts-related institutions.
The authors of HB No.3743 or the proposed "Artists’ Incentives Act" are Camarines Sur solons Reps. Migz Villafuerte (5th district), Luigi Villafuerte (2nd district), Tsuyoshi Horibata (1st district); and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon.
Attached to the Office of the President (OP), the FDCP is spearheading the country’s celebration this September of Philippine Film Industry Month (PFIM).
Multi-awarded film and television director-writer Jose Javier Reyes is chairperson-chief executive officer (CEO) of the FDCP.
Luigi Villafuerte says he and fellow authors are seeking the enactment of the bill since “The international awards reaped by the excellent works of our Filipino artists call for appropriate government acknowledgement.”
“We need to grant cash incentives to Filipinos in the creative industry who have received recognition and honor in prestigious and notable competitions abroad—as determined by the FDCP and other arts-related government institutions,” he added.
Meanwhile, Migz Villafuerte said that the grant of cash rewards will certainly encourage Filipino creative artists to engage in various forms of arts to represent the country and further hone their skills and craft in the various arts.
He said that during the previous 19th Congress, three similar bills managed to reach the consolidation phase at the House Special Committee on Creative Industries.
HB No.1934 was authored by then-congressman and now Camarines Sur Governor LRay Villafuerte with Migz Villafuerte, Horibata, and the Bicol Saro Party-list.
HB No.1281 was authored by then-Pangasinan congressman Christopher de Venecia, who was also the chairman at that time of this House special committee; while HB No.4540 was introduced by Quezon City 5th district Rep. PM Vargas.
Authors of HB No.3743 said the cash bonuses should be given to the winners of international festivals or competitions as determined by the FDCP, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).
The bill said these international competitions and film festivals include the Cannes Film Festival in France, Sundance Film Festival and New York Film Festival in the United States (US), Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, Venice Film Festival in Italy, and the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.
The bill's authors noted that the recent award-winning works or performances include Leonor Will Never Die of director Martika Escobar, which won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award in the 2022 Sundance Awards in the United States (US); actor John Arcilla who bagged the Coppi Volpi (Volpi Cup) for Best Actor in the 78th Venice Film Festival in Italy in 2021; the short film Tarang of director Arvin Belarmino, which received the Berlin Brandenburg Short Award for Best Film at the 36th Interfilm Berlin Short Film Festival in Germany in 2020; and the film Yellow Rose of director-writer Diane Paragas, which won the Reel Asian Best Feature Film award in the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada in 2019.
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