TRIPARTITE DEAL | The memorandum of agreement was signed by Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco (center), Tirso FDCP Chair and CEO Tirso Cruz III (left), and TIEZA COO Mark Lapid (right). The witnesses were (from left) FDCP executive director Dan Morales, Tourism Undersecretary Mae Elain Bathan, and TIEZA Assistant COO Jetro Lozada. (Photo from the Facebook page of the Department of Tourism)
MANILA, Philippines — A Film Heritage Building geared towards boosting the tourism industry will soon rise in the Walled City of Intramuros in Manila, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The building will be constructed beside the Beaterio de la Compania de Jesus and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority’s (TIEZA) Light and Sound Museum,
It will have a film museum, gallery, media library, film storage vaults, scanning facility, and a restoration room.
The building will also house the offices of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), including lounge areas, board rooms, a merchandise shop, and a cafe.
The DOT formally inked a 22-year agreement with TIEZA and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) last Sept. 26 for the construction of the building.
“Film has the power to distill these moments, memories, and vestiges of our culture into an art form that can be fully appreciated by our fellow Filipinos and the world. And therefore, it makes sense for us, in the Department of Tourism, to support as much as we can, this thriving industry that really does require government intervention for it to be sustainable for the long term,” Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said in a statement.
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Attending the signing of the agreement were TIEZA chief operating officer) Mark Lapid and FDCP chair and chief executive officers. Ir qA witnessed by Tourism Undersecretary Mae Elaine Bathan, TIEZA assistant COO Jetro Lozada, and FDCP executive director Dan Morales.
Frasco pointed out that the DOH-FDCP agreement, along with TIEZA as their infrastructure arm, would strengthen the growing creative industry of the country.
“We foresee that with our archives in cinema and film in the film industry, having a home, as well as in reaching out to the farthest reaches of the Philippines as far as the development of film tourism, it can only serve to grow the portfolio of Philippine tourism and most importantly, provide employment and livelihood to our fellow Filipinos who will benefit from expanding our film tourism portfolio,” she said.
The agreement will be in effect until Feb. 25, 2045, subject to the parties’ renewal.