Rizal Park, Intramuros opened to commercial photogs for a month

MANILA, Philippines—The National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) will allow commercial photographers ply their trade in Manila’s historical sites including Rizal Park and Intramuros for a month starting December 15 on a trial basis, a commercial photographers’ group said.

The group, calling itself Bawal Mag-Shoot Dito–Only in the Philippines, or BMSD Pilipinas, said they had a dialogue with NPDC Executive Director Juliet Villegas and Intramuros Administration chief Jose Capistrano Jr., during which the officials agreed to initially open Intramuros and Rizal Park to commercial photographers and hobbyists from December 15 to January 15.

The group said that this shall be temporary until a technical working group (TWG) comes up with long -term policies.

“The said TWG will include government representatives and representatives of various photography disciplines,” BMSD Pilipinas said in a statement.

BMSD Pilipinas founder Mel Cortez said, “This is just the first step towards long-term solutions to the issues we have raised, and we are happy that it has been taken by both photographers’ groups and government.”

To celebrate this “victory,” around 400 members of the group conducted a “photowalk” early Wednesday from the National Press Club to Intramuros.

BMSD Pilipinas, which started out as a Facebook group on November 1, conducted a photographers’ “silent protest” on November 11 at Rizal Park against the no-shoot policy in Rizal Park and Intramuros.— Jamie Marie Elona