Showbiz freelancers give thanks to FDCP

MANILA, Philippines — Some members of the entertainment press and film industry workers who received financial aid from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), chaired by Liza Dino, expressed their appreciation and posted messages of thanks on social media.

Through the FDCP program called DEAR (Disaster/Emergency Assistance and Relief), thousands of production crews and freelance movie writers whose work had been drastically affected by the crisis brought by COVID-19 were given the one-time, tax-free financial aid of P8,000 and P5,000, respectively.

FDCP, which is under the Office of the President, launched the DEAR program as an immediate response to the pandemic. The DEAR fund was activated after Pres. Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of calamity due to the public health emergency. The DEAR Action! (for displaced AV workers) was launched last March 23 to provide support to freelance AV content industry members while the DEAR Press was introduced last March 30 to assist freelance entertainment press members with their financial situation.

Those who wish to apply may still do so by filling out the application form that can be downloaded from the FDCP website and sending it together with the attached requirements to [email protected]. Filing of application is until April 30. For details, visit http://fdcp.ph/dear-program or www.facebook.com/FDCPNationalRegistry.