RA 11904 will help overcome the challenges in the creative sectors of the country, specifically to Filipino creatives and entrepreneurs.
Rep. Angelica Natasha Co. said that prohibiting or taxing foreign media is not a strategy that will provide chances for Filipino creative talents and entrepreneurs. To overcome problems, the Republic Act (RA) 11904 or the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act should be expanded upon and supported.
Co is also the vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations and a member of the House special committee on the creative industry and performing arts.
She cited that the South Korean strategies are one of the benchmarks to actually strengthen the Filipino creative industries because of the strong following of Korean artists among Filipinos.
“The South Koreans are our friends, not our enemies” Co emphasized.
It should be a sign that Filipinos want to see any creative output made by anyone, may they be Filipinos or from other nationalities.
“Bringing ticket prices down by cutting down all local and national taxes on productions, both local and foreign, would be a step in the right direction. 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.” She added.
Re-opening the economy through entertainment
To address the urgent problem of unemployment and underemployment among performing artists, Co said that “we must swiftly transition out of the pandemic and reopen the economy.”
Reopening businesses and school campuses is crucial to getting the economy working again at full force. This could get people out of their homes after years of staying safe inside their homes and return to what everyone did before the pandemic which includes watching movies.
Watching movies and performances will revive the entertainment industry as well as the economy. If there are no audiences, producers will not make movies and stage plays.
Filipino productions cannot fully harness the power of online platforms and accessibility due to the slow internet speed and low coverage for most Filipinos which makes face-to-face viewing of movies and plays the “main mode," she added.
However, ticket prices and prohibitive, and Filipinos are also price-sensitive.
Meanwhile, RA 11904 quietly lapsed into law last July 28 which made Filipinos still unaware of the new law that embodies the strategies for providing jobs, opportunities, and benefits to performing artists and other creative abilities.
“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,” Co said.
But RA 11904 is proof that the 18th Congress was actively listening and had a clear vision of what was needed. The new law will address the needs of all creative sectors in the country and is a solution that will need time to make it work.
“Let us support the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the lead implementing agency” Co concluded.
Tags: #Entertainment, #FilipinoCreatives, #ForeignMedia, #DTI, #Economy