BY NEIL RAMOS
Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. And Sen. Imee Marcos voiced their willingness to act as umpires in the squabble involving the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), among others.
Prior, the MMDA removed FDCP chair Liza Diño as member of the Metro Manila Film Festival executive committee, accusing her of trying to take over its management.
Other groups such as the Concerned Artists of the Philippines, The Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association (PMPPA), the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, Inc., also griped about Diño’s supposed “overreach” as FDCP head, issuing safety guidelines and protocols for the industry amid the pandemic even as the Inter-Guild Alliance (IGA) is already drafting rules for the same.
“Ayusin na lang lahat ‘yan. Ako gigitna na ayusin kayo,” Revilla, who made a name as bankable action star in the ‘80s and ‘90s, told Diño during the FDCP’s budget hearing in the Senate Tuesday.
“I will talk to them. ‘Pag okay na, mag-Zoom meeting tayo and let’s talk,” he added.
Marcos, who once headed the Experimental Cinema of the Phillipines, offered the same, divulging she actually once asked Diño to name names.
“Tinatanong ko nga diyan (kay Liza) bakit ang daming nakikipag-away… Sino ba pinakamasakit sa ulo?”
Diño, on her part, expressed eagerness to sit down with all concerned when possible.
“If we can bridge that dialogue, napakalaking bagay po,” she said.
