Mowelfund through the years

Most everyone has heard of the Movie Workers Welfare Fund (Mowelfund), its location and the fact that Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada was somehow related to the place. But beyond that, few are aware of the nitty-gritty behind the name.

Mowelfund is a non-stock non-profit social welfare, educational and industry development foundation established in 1974. It was founded by Erap, then San Juan mayor and president of the Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association (PMPPA), for the welfare of workers in the Philippine motion picture industry.

Expanding the Manila Film Festival to become the Metro Manila Film Festival Philippines (MMFFP) has helped rationalize the movie industry with its contributions in creating agencies like the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) and reorganizing the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). It has also initiated the campaign against film and video piracy.

Mowelfund continuously provides aid to movie workers in times of sickness, disability, accident and death. Its services include medical, health and non-life needs of beneficiaries through paid benefits and an Annual Free Clinic. Other services include livelihood training opportunities, low-cost housing in cooperation with Gawad Kalinga, access to data on the Philippine motion picture industry, collection and preservation of film-related research and archival documents.                   

Mowelfund Film Institute offers a home base for the country’s young filmmakers while serving as depository for library, research and archival documents. It creates an academic and regional network for outreach programs and manages the very first Film Museum in the country.

We attended the meeting of the board of directors of Mowelfund and were exposed to an altogether different environment: Chairman emeritus and founder Mayor Erap, chairman Marichu Maceda, president and trustee Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo; and members — chaplain and spiritual adviser Fr. Larry Faraon, film director and head of the Mowelfund Film Institute (MFI) Boy Vinarao and pesident of Kapisanan ng Mga Artista ng Pelikulang Pilipino at Telebisyon (KAPPT) Rez Cortez.

On top of the business was the announcement of new filmmakers numbering to 30 students who had all graduated with degrees, having worked in various institutions. These include the likes of Raymond Red, Larry Manda, Lav Diaz, Brillante Mendoza, Paolo Villaluna, Ellen Ongkeko, Neil Daza, Yam Laranas and Kean Cipriano. Members of Mowelfund, at the time of their meeting in July 2015, numbered to 4,500 who are members for life.

When members come for their benefits, they received seven-million share from the Metro Manila Film Festival for the 2013 filmfest. Mowelfund’s 2014 share is being awarded in tranches spread over to 2015. Other sources of funds come for personal contributions, and ultimately Erap himself who is known to have come to the rescue of the board in the nick of time.

MFI opens its doors to all interested students who qualify, age wise, with time and energy for classes and activities. After the demise of trustee and composer Josefino Cenizal, a list of nominees to the Board is being drawn with the hope of attracting the younger members of the industry. We hope to have at least one additional board member to take Prof. Cenizal’s place.

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