The Makati City government announced Wednesday it paid five theater owners more than P30 million for the free movie tickets given to senior citizens and persons with disability in the city who availed the privilege in the last nine months.
For 2018, the administration of Mayor Abigail Binay allocated P40 million for the movie tickets of some 82,286 senior citizens and P4 million for 9,336 PWDs. They are entitled to unlimited free entrance to cinemas located in the city, which is one of the most popular perks provided by the city government.
Binay noted what she described as “priceless joys” derived by the beneficiaries of the program which continue to make it a worthwhile investment for the city and its partners in the private sector.
“Being able to watch movies as often as they want helps to keep their minds active and their hearts young. It also allows them to spend precious bonding moments with family members and friends, which contribute to their overall sense of well-being,” she said.
The elderly and PWD residents can watch free movies at any of the cinema-partners in Glorietta and Greenbelt, Century Mall, Power Plant Mall, Cash and Carry, and Waltermart.
In his report to the Office of the Mayor, city chief accountant William Dayrit said the city paid P30.3 million to five cinema partners for movie tickets issued for free to both sectors from January to September this year. Of this, P27.9 million was for senior citizens and P2.4 million was for PWDs.
The amounts constitute 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 movies benefit for the elderly started in 1997 with the passage of City Ordinance No. 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 No. 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 PWDs of Makati through the enactment of City Ordinance No. 2006-066.
Last year, the city government paid five theatre owners more than P38 million for the free movie tickets.