Film, media personalities form party-list group

Show business and media personalities have submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) their petition to run under the party-list system in the 2010 national elections, claiming to represent the interest of the industries’ mostly anonymous and low-paid workers.

In a weekly forum at the Danarra Hotel, the group Alyansa ng Media at Showbiz (AMS) vowed to advance the rights and welfare showbiz and media workers in case they win a seat in Congress.

AMS President Rolando Gonzalo said the alliance was initially a joint association of the three biggest and most prominent organizations from the media and entertainment industry, namely, Liga ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas Inc. (LBPI), National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC) and the Asosasyon ng mga Manggagawa ng Pelikulang Pilipino Inc. (AMPPI).

Leo Martinez, director general of the Film Academy of the Philippines, said the showbiz industry may seem glamorous, but majority of its workers rarely have “good opportunities” in their work. He said that most jobs in the industry entail a 24-hour work schedule but not “properly compensated.”

Film Director Soxy Topacio also revealed that only 10 percent, or more than 50 members of the Directors Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI) are currently employed.

The party-list system was a novel mechanism included in the 1987 Constitution that enables marginalized sectors to elect party-list representatives to advance the interests of a particular sector. The Constitution, however, enumerates marginalized sectors as those composed of peasants, workers, women, youth and professionals.

To secure a seat in Congress, a party-list group will need to garner at least 2 percent of the total votes cast for party-lists. They will be entitled to additional seats if they manage to get more than 2 percent.

Film director Romy Zusara said that AMS would support the movie industry’s “marginalized workers . . . [like] the movie talents and extras, theater employees and stuntmen, Besides the ranks of directors, scriptwriters, cinematographers, editors, production designers, sound technicians, actors and actresses.”

For the media, Gonzalo said the group would advance the interests of writers, editors, production assistants, technicians, photographers, other employees from television, radio, and print media.

The group allegedly enjoys the support of other big organizations such as the Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng Pelikulang Pilipino, DGPI, Philippine Motion Picture Directors’ Association, Kapisanan ng mga Artista sa Pelikula at Telebisyon and the Production Designers Guild of the Philippines.– Frank Lloyd Tiongson, Manila Times