• By Evelyn C. Diao
TWO ERSTWHILE beauty contenders and pageant sisters — one a former Miss Earth Philippines candidate and the other a Mutya ng Pilipinas runner-up — are vying for a new crown! This time, there is no ramp and stage to showcase their physical attributes and exceptional Q & A lines, just a feat of brains and brawn.
Just recently, a spark almost triggered a War Between Two Beauties as they exchanged posts / texts / subtexts in their respective social media channels as to who should rightfully manage the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). Should it still be the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), with Celine Pialado as its spokesperson or should it be the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) with its head Liza Dino?
The spark stemmed from Liza Dino’s proposal letter to transfer the management and implementation of the MMFF to the FDCP, which was picked by Celine Pialago and posted it right in her Facebook account, which states:
Expand the length and the scope of the Metro Manila Film Festival, and to transfer in the future the celebration in the hands of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
an excerpt from Dino’s proposal letter
The letter was addressed to the Office of the President stating that two week-run should be given to the festival, with movies shown in metro cinemas nationwide. The FDCP chair also recommends the “reconstitution” of MMFF for other improvements and to upgrade the art of film-making.
Dino also mentioned that MMDA’s function is “planning, monitoring, coordinating, exercising regulatory and supervisory authority in the delivery of metro-wide services within Metro Manila.”
She also added that anything related to film-making should not be under the mandate of MMDA, so it is just proper that the management should be transferred to FDCP.
Irked and dismayed, Celine Pialago strongly penned in her Facebook account her defense that MMFF is owned by MMDA. She also said that it is more important for FDCP to focus on its own local film fest, the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP,) and not meddle with the MMFF.
To quote Pialago on her post, “Not COVID-related. Not traffic-related. But this is important to us here in MMDA, particularly if we read that there are people who are lobbying.
“Taon-taon na lang nating pinag-uusapan ito, Chair Dino. MMFF belongs to MMDA. Siguro, piece of advice, Madam, ayusin n’yo po muna ang Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino bago po n’yo pag-interesan ang MMFF.
“Lubos na gumagalang, Celine.” That was her curt reply.
There is no word yet from FDCP camp up to this time. (MTVN)
