FDCP denies wanting to take over MMFF

MANILA, Philippines — The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) on Thursday denied wanting to take over the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) after a “bubwit” from Malacañang said the council supposedly wanted to expand its powers.

“Until this moment, they [FDCP] say that hindi nila gustong kunin ang (they don’t want to take over the) MMFF,” Senator Risa Hontiveros, who sponsored the proposed budget of the council whose chair and other officials sat behind her.

This denial from the FDCP came during the Senate budget debates after Senate President Vicente Sotto III questioned the need for a revision of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the law—Republic Act No. 9167—that created the council.

“Merong bubwit na nagbigay ng message dito sa amin na FDCP ang humingi ng sulat kay [Chief Presidential Legal Council] Salvador Panelo talaga at iniisip talaga nila yung powers because gusto nilang kunin yung MMFF para masakop nila,” said Sotto, who was a principal author of the FDCP law.

(There’s a mouse that sent us a message that it was the FDCP that request a letter from Chief Presidential Legal Council Salvador Panelo regarding the IRR because it wants to expand its power so they can take over MMFF.)

“Yun daw ang dahilan,” he added.

(That was the supposed reason.)

Prior to this, Sotto had asked the FDCP whose idea it was to revise the IRR of the law when its original IRR remained “unquestioned” 18 years after it was enacted.

The senator said the proposed revised IRR  included specific provisions that “seem to expand the powers of the FDCP granted to it by law.”

The FDCP told Hontiveros, who defended the council’s budget, that it was “advised” by Panelo in a letter dated August 13, 2019 that it is within the authority  “of the FDCP to revise and update its IRR to flesh out the functions of the FDCP inherent to those specified in R.A. 9167 to better implement its plans and programs for the industry.”

But Sotto was puzzled as to why after so many years since the FDCP law was enacted and its original IRR was approved, the Palace official would suddenly write to the council.

“May ibang motibo yun. Hindi gagawin ni Secretary Panelo ‘yun na susulat siya after 18 years bigla niyang naisip yung FDCP,” the senator said.

(There’s another motive there. Secretary Panelo will not just write a letter after 18 years that he would suddenly think of the FDCP.)

“The letter was just saying that they may revise the IRR. Sal Panelo was not suggesting that you revise the IRR,” Sotto added.

It was at this point that Sotto said he and his staff received information from someone at the Palace that it was indeed the FDCP who first wrote a letter to Panelo.

In response, Hontiveros said the FDCP admits to writing the letter to Panelo but denied wanting to take over the MMFF.

“FDCP admits that indeed the bubwit is correct about the first point that indeed it was the council which asked for the letter from Secretary Panelo,” she said.

“They say that hindi nila gustong kunin ang (they don’t want to take over the) MMFF,” she added.

In July, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced the removal of FDCP chair Liza Diño as a member of the MMFF Executive Committee for allegedly attempting to “take over its chairmanship.”

The MMDA organizes the annual MMFF.

JE