FDCP reallocates P20M Fund, expands DEAR ACTION to help more freelance AV content workers

THE Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), in its new Advisory 1-A issued on April 3, has expanded the coverage of its DEAR ACTION! program to cater to more freelance audio-visual (AV) content workers who have been displaced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. The income cap on qualified applicants is lifted, the required number of suspended work days is lessened, and AV companies can now apply on behalf of their freelance workers.

The DEAR ACTION! is now open to all eligible freelance AV content workers who have suddenly lost work or became out of work due to COVID-19, regardless of how much they make. However, FDCP reserves the right to prioritize lowincome earners who have a talent fee of P3,000 or less per day or a package rate of P20,000 or less per project.

A company applying for DEAR ACTION! must have a production or business that was suspended as a direct result of COVID-19. An extra step is the verification of the company’s legitimacy.

Since the launch of DEAR ACTION! on March 23, the FDCP National Registry has received more than 1,000 inquiries and has started processing applications. Over 900 film workers were added to FDCP’S database thanks to the Lockdown Cinema Club, which organized its own fundraising program to support low-income film workers. As of April 3, there are more than 500 approved DEAR ACTION! applicants who have started receiving their one-time tax-free benefit payment of P8,000. The release of the DEAR ACTION! financial assistance began on March 27.

“The DEAR Program is FDCP'S own quick response program. It is a disaster fund that was approved days after the Enhanced Community Quarantine was announced. Our Board of Trustees quickly approved a fund that will give financial assistance to our freelance workers because 70% of our workers have a ‘no work, no pay’ status and are paid on a per day or per project basis,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño. She also clarified, “The Department of Labor and Employment’s CAMP (COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program) and FDCP’S DEAR are complementary programs for displaced workers of the AV industry. CAMP is for AV content industry employees under companies while DEAR is for freelancers.”

The FDCP has also launched the DEAR PRESS! program that will give P5,000 to freelance entertainment press members affected by the COVID-19 situation.

For inquiries, contact the FDCP National Registry, the implementing office of the DEAR Program, at dearnationalregistry@ fdcp.ph or 0917-8003227.