1-Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero encourages moviegoers to enjoy this year’s MMFF

Holiday moviegoers and family promenaders await the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival, with its chosen lineup of top films competing for the enjoyment of fans and the nod of film fest jurors.

There’s more for their taking as the specter of growth for the Philippine movie, TV, and entertainment industry looms brighter with fresh safeguards for the workers and creatives in this field via the new Eddie Garcia Law.

When asked about how the initiators of these new safeguards feel, especially in this film fest season, 1-Pacman Party List Rep. Mikee Romero states: “First, we are grateful to the men and women — the writers, directors, the lightsmen, the stuntmen, the studio keepers, the film editors, the makeup and prosthetic artists — everyone who are involved in these marvelous movie and creatives industries which are now so much a part of our modern lives.”

Romero, who heads the 1-Pacman Party List and who authored the law adds: “Mas kailangan nating pagtibayin ang ating movie, TV, creatives and entertainment industries. Lalo na ngayong very accessible sa kabataan ang mga sine at short videos. Hindi lamang ito pang entertainment. Ang industriyang ito pa ang source ng ating information. Kaya’t tunay na kailangang alagaan natin ang mga bumubuo ng movie and entertainment world.”

The circumstances behind the death of Romero’s stepfather, the iconic movie actor Eddie Garcia, was an eye-opener about the need to ensure the safety and well-being of movie, TV, and creative industry workers. Garcia died in June 2019 after tripping over carelessly laid out wires at a teleserye shooting. He was 90.

Considering Garcia’s many achievements — some 300 films in his lifetime and winning the most Famas awards ever — as well as his discipline for self-care, Congressman Romero deemed the death of his stepfather from the accident to be senseless. He worked on how the law can prevent such accidents, and how changes can be made to benefit the entire moviedom. The bill behind the Eddie Garcia Law was, thus, born. Now as Republic Act 11996, the law is set for implementation after the rules and regulations covering it were recently formed and signed.

The Eddie Garcia law requires employers to conduct a risk assessment of the workplace or location of production to eliminate or control potential hazards to workers. Among other many changes, it also mandates the provision of adequate meals, water, accessible sanitary facilities, and lawful compensation, including the detailing of those covered by cancellations of scheduled work, for covered workers.

In 2018, the year before he died, Garcia was himself an awardee of the Metro Manila Film Fest, obtaining the Special Jury Prize for his role in the movie, Rainbow’s Sunset.

READ: Erwin Garcia, last living child of Eddie Garcia, dies

For this MMFF 50th year, the competing films are set to be screened in some 900 cinemas, running from December 25, 2024, to January 7, 2025.

The entries for 2024 are “And the Breadwinner Is” of ABS-CBN Films and TheIdeaFirst Company with lead stars Vice Ganda, Eugene Domingo; suspense-drama “Green Bones” of GMA Pictures featuring Dennis Trillo and Sofia Pablo; “Himala, Isang Musikal” by Kapitol Films, Uxs Inc., written by Ricky Lee and Pepe Diokno; family drama “The Kingdom” of APT Entertainment, Inc., MZET TV Productions, Inc. and MQuest Ventures, Inc., starring Vic Sotto and Piolo Pascual; and “Strange Frequencies: Haunted Hospital” of Reality MM Studios Inc., with lead stars Enrique Gil, Jane de Leon, Rob Gomez and Alexa Miro.

The other five are “My Future You” of Regal Entertainment Inc. with stars Seth Fedelin and Francine Diaz; “Uninvited”, a thriller by Mentorque Productions, Project 8 Project, with stars Vilma Santos, Aga Muhlach, Nadine Lustre, Tirso Cruz III, Lotlot de Leon, Mylene Dizon; “Topakk” of Nathan Studios, Strawdogs Studio Productions with lead stars Arjo Atayde, Julia Montes, Sid Lucero, Kokoy de Santos; romantic fantasy “Hold Me Close” of Viva Communications Inc., starring Carlo Aquino and Julia Barretto, and horror- thriller “Espantaho” of Quantum Films, Cineko Productions, Purple Bunny Productions, featuring Judy Ann Santos, Lorna Tolentino, Eugene Domingo, Janice de Belen, JC Santos, Mon Confiado, and Chanda Romero.

The 1-Pacman Party List, which authored and sponsored 144 laws in its nine-year term in Congress, seeks to achieve more moving onward, keeping its eye focused on a successful 2025 electoral campaign. Its first, second, and third nominees are Milka Romero, Bobby Pacquiao, and Shey Sakaluran Mohammad, respectively.

Milka, a young business, civic, and sports leader and chairman of the 1-Pacman Party List, echoed her father’s concerns about improving working conditions in businesses, not just within creative industries, especially since these are the sectors where the country’s youth will likely engage.