City officials in Pasay are having second thoughts of reopening cinemas even in a limited capacity.
“Much as I want to open up the economy more, but based on data and our situation, we will observe and analyze for two more weeks if we could indeed already allow cinemas to reopen,” said Mayor Imelda Rubiano.
Rubiano made the statement in reaction to Department of Trade and Industry’s declaration that local government units, especially those based in Metro Manila, that are wary of reopening cinemas may begin allowing just 20 percent capacity of the operations to gradually help more Filipinos return to their livelihoods.
The DTI noted that the local entertainment industry, nationwide, including film production, distribution, and cinemas, was a P13 billion-industry which employed 300,000 Filipinos before the COVID-19 pandemic locked down majority of the population and padlocked theaters all over the country. Joel E. Zurbano
The agency added that the pandemic shrunk the industry to only P1.3 billion and cut the livelihood of thousands of people as of 2020.
Records from Pasay’s Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) showed that there are 20 cinemas or movie houses in the city.
These cinemas are located in areas of the city previously frequented by huge crowds of people, namely: SM cinemas of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. located at the Mall of Asia; cinema of Matthew Film Distributor, Inc. at the Welcome Plaza along Taft Avenue; that of Cinemas Snack Bar at the Newport City complex; Vista Cinema A and B along Taft Avenue; Masagana Cinema 1 also at the Welcome Plaza; that of Matthew Film Distributor at Welcome Plaza; and the cinema of S Maison at the MOA.
“We at the Pasay LGU are aware that these cinemas in our city provide employment to thousands of people especially Pasayeños, and give revenues to the city which we use in our public service programs and projects,” said Rubiano.
“We are giving due consideration to that. That is why we are balancing all these things and we will be keenly monitoring and observing the developments in two weeks’ time so that our decision on whether or not to already allow the re-opening of cinemas will be facts-based,” she added.
Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said earlier members of the Metro Manila Council, which composed the 17 mayors in the National Capital Region, are against the move to reopen cinemas.
He said in the event that the final decision would be to allow the reopening of the cinemas, it is the Metro Manila mayors and not the MMDA, who would determine the seating capacity they will impose on cinemas within their jurisdiction. Joel E. Zurbano