Boots says Mowelfund ‘on sustained financial independence’ as it marks its 48th anniversary

Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo at Mowelfund’s 48th anniversary celebration

Actress Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo admitted that there were a few times through her 18 years at the helm of the Movie Worker’s Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund) when she did consider quitting.

“My work took a temporary toll on my health. It detracted from some film assignments and career moves, ergo, lost income opportunities,” Rodrigo, who is currently Mowelfund chair, told Inquirer Entertainment in an interview to discuss the foundation’s 48th anniversary.

“On a few occasions, I advanced personal funds and used up personal goodwill for the foundation’s operations and member benefits,” said Rodrigo, who was Mowelfund president from 2002 to 2020.

“Our salaries across the board were below industry standards. Multitasking became the norm, as we were understaffed. Fundraising became de rigueur, to include even horse racing and celebrity poker, billiards and other otherwise nontraditional events for a foundation,” recalled Rodrigo, who retired as president at age 75, but was soon after elected as chair when Marichu “Manay Ichu” Vera Perez-Maceda passed away in September 2020.

“But the fine examples of former president Joseph Estrada (Mowelfund chair emeritus) and Manay Ichu, and the staff in serving the industry prevailed. Plus, a social conscience dictated that since I was blessed in my career, it was incumbent that I paid back the industry through those who had less in the practice,” said Rodrigo.

When she retired at 75, Rodrigo noted that “by then, Mowelfund was already on its way to financial stability. Today, it is working on sustained financial independence through its joint venture with [real estate developer] Victor Consunji,” she reported.

During the COVID-19 interim, Mowelfund engaged in a joint realty project with Victor Consunji Development Corp. In fact, Mowelfund has already transferred to its new building, which is now undergoing finishing touches. It will soon feature classrooms, production facilities and a state-of-the-art 54-seat theater, Rodrigo reported.

Rodrigo and Mowelfund president Rez Cortez also recently signed a partnership with AKTOR: League of Filipino Actors through its board chair Dingdong Dantes, with the goal of recruiting new members “for a premium membership fee but with enhanced benefits capped by an insurance policy.”

Contract signing between officials of Mowelfund and League of Filipino Actors (AKTOR)

AKTOR has an original membership of 150 practitioners who are newly enrolled as Mowelfund members under the enhanced program, Rodrigo reported.

“A few years back, Mowelfund launched an enhanced and expanded membership campaign,” she recalled. “Today, my son, welfare director Joey Roa, was assigned to forge partnerships with organizations that would help achieve this membership program,” Rodrigo recalled. “First was the Sagip Tala project with the Film Development Council of the Philippines to offer extra assistance to needy and deserving film personalities, beyond their regular membership benefits. Second, a similar partnership with AKTOR.”

Platinum membership is now being offered to film workers who can afford a higher annual membership fee with increased monetarial amounts in the benefits, plus additional perks like discounts for online filmmaking classes or workshops, as well as personal accident insurance coverage for one year.

Rodrigo added that Mowelfund’s welfare and health program remains closest to her heart. “It provides for benefits like medical reimbursements, hospitalization, surgery, death, housing and livelihood, as well as subsidized film education,” she reported. “Through its 48 years, Mowelfund has served an accrued number of 4,000 members, now diminished through death and discontinued memberships.”

Rodrigo considers Mowelfund’s welfare program as “the crux, the raison d’etre” of the foundation. Each member can claim medical aid in the amount of P8,000 for a maximum of three hospital confinements per year; surgical aid of P13,000 per year for a major surgical procedure (invasive or noninvasive); continuing medication in the form of medicine purchase reimbursements (P5,000 maximum per year); and funeral assistance of P35,000 to immediate relatives of a member who passed on to defray funeral costs.

On education, the Mowelfund Film Institute offered during the pandemic lockdowns its first online masterclasses by seasoned professionals, notably: Raymond Red on cinematography, Ricky Lee on scriptwriting, Jose Javier Reyes on directing and Leo Martinez on acting.

In collaboration with the National Housing Authority and the San Jose del Monte City local government in Bulacan, 16 members have qualified to avail of the housing project located in Barangay Gaya-Gaya, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. They underwent a series of screenings and evaluations to meet the prescribed requirements.

In addition, recent tie-ups with Potato Corner and Marispure Corp., owners of Healthy and Pure Water, offered no-franchising fees for members looking for sources of additional income. INQ