Free movies cost Makati P15-M
Our meaningful partnership with cinema owners in Makati has been giving joy to our senior and PWD Makatizens for over two decades now
Over P18 million was paid by the city government of Makati to its five cinema partners for free movie tickets issued to senior citizens and persons with disability (PWD) residents from January to June this year.
Mayor Abby Binay said the unparalleled perk provided by the city is available to some 110,780 elderly citizens and 12,080 registered PWD of Makati.
“Our meaningful partnership with cinema owners in Makati has been giving joy to our senior and PWD Makatizens for
over two decades now. It is our pride and pleasure to make them happy and young at heart through this privilege,” Mayor Abby said.
Binay said she was heartened to learn that other localities have followed suit and granted the said perk to their elderly and PWD residents, although with certain limitations, such as designating certain days of the week for free admission to selected cinemas.
The elderly and PWD Makatizens can watch movies free of charge at any time and day that cinema partners are open in Glorietta and Greenbelt, Century Mall, Power Plant Mall, Cash and Carry and Waltermart.
In a recent report to Mayor Abby, Accounting department officer-incharge William Dayrit stated the city paid a total of P18,146,284 to five cinema partners for movie tickets issued free to both sectors for the first two quarters of the year. Of this, P16,595,131.75 went to movie tickets of senior citizens and P1,551,152.25 to movie tickets of PWD.
The amounts represent the 25 percent share of the city government in the cost of movie tickets used under the program, which is being implemented in partnership with cinema owners in the city.
The free movie benefit for the elderly started in 1997 with the passage of City Ordinance 97-085, appropriating P500,000 as the 25 percent share of the city in cinema admission costs for senior citizens.
The program was institutionalized three years later through City Ordinance 2001-035 granting the inclusion of appropriations in the annual City Executive Budget for its continuous implementation in succeeding years.
In 2006, the perk was also granted to registered PWD of Makati through the enactment of City Ordinance 2006-066.