Kuya Bong agrees with mayors on cinema reopening
Covid-19 is an invisible illness, especially if you are in a dark movie house. We haven’t started yet with the vaccination
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go agrees with the position taken by Metro Manila mayors urging the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to reconsider and study further the planned reopening of traditional cinemas amid ongoing threats of Covid-19.
“I agree with the Metro Manila mayors that the opening of cinemas at malls should be seriously studied,” Go said in a statement on Monday, 15 February.
“The situation is serious,” he emphasized.
Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez earlier said the reopening of movie houses will revive the entertainment industry, valued at P13 billion, and bring back employment for approximately 300,000 Filipinos. The industry shrunk to P1.3 billion due to the lockdowns in 2020.
However, the Metro Manila Council, which is composed of the mayors in the National Capital Region, opposed the proposal. Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said city mayors are apprehensive with the recommendation to reopen traditional cinemas.
Lopez said the decision was reviewed by the experts in the technical working group of the IATF-EID, adding that extra protocols will be put in place, such as ventilation.
Theaters in areas under general community quarantine are also allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity only.
The government yielded to the suggestion of Metro Manila local chief executives and has set the reopening of traditional cinemas to 1 March 2021 instead, although this will still be subject to consultations with the mayors. Guidelines will also be crafted by concerned agencies and local government units in regard to the planned reopening.
The IATF, through Malacañang, said they respect the position of LGU and gave assurances they will be consulted prior to the planned reopening.