If you are a technical crew, production or post-production staff, stunt person, actor, dubber, or any other freelance audio-visual (AV) content worker with a “no work, no pay” status whose work was abruptly cancelled or postponed as a direct result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation, then you can apply for the DEAR ACTION! financial assistance worth P8,000 from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).

As an immediate response to the COVID-19 crisis, FDCP launched DEAR which stands for Disaster/Emergency Assistance and Relief. FDCP set up the DEAR Program by reallocating budget from its existing funds to help ease the burden of disaster-affected AV industry stakeholders not only during this current public health emergency situation but also in the event of future calamities and emergencies. The DEAR Program will only be activated once the President of the Republic of the Philippines declares a state of calamity due to a major natural disaster or public health emergency.

The DEAR Program was first activated on March 23, and under it is the DEAR ACTION! (For Displaced Freelance AV Workers) program that aims to give P8,000 financial assistance to freelance AV content industry members who suddenly lost work or became out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the Enhanced Community Quarantine implementation in Luzon and declaration of a national state of calamity. 

In order to be a qualified DEAR ACTION! applicant, you must have had five (5) work days (whether pre-production, production, or post-production) that were cancelled or postponed within the period of March 15 to April 14, 2020. You also must not have a direct employer and you must not be qualified for government-instituted benefits. Due to the limited funds of FDCP, the initial run of DEAR ACTION! will provide income support to 2,000 workers. While DEAR ACTION! is open to eligible disaster-affected freelance AV content workers, FDCP reserves the right to prioritize low-income individuals during its initial disbursement of funds. Low-income individuals are those whose talent fee is around P3,000 or less per day or have a package rate of P20,000 or less per project.

FDCP has already been accepting numerous inquiries and applications for the DEAR ACTION! financial assistance. You still have a lot of time to file a claim because the deadline for submission of applications is on April 24, 2020. Here is a guide to help you in filing for the one-time P8,000 assistance from the FDCP DEAR ACTION! Program:

1. Contact the FDCP National Registry, the implementing office of the DEAR Program, at [email protected] or 0917-8003227.

2. Prepare the following documents to prove your loss of engagement during the COVID-19 situation:

2. Copy of your current membership to the National Registry for Audio-Visual Workers (NRAW) 

• For non-members, your NRAW application may be filed together with your DEAR ACTION! application. In light of the COVID-19 situation, the NRAW processing fee is waived.
   

2. Filled out DEAR ACTION! Application Form
    
3. Affidavit of Unemployment

• Template is available at http://fdcp.ph/dear-program 
• No need to notarize for now but your signature must be affixed on the form
   

4. Copy of any proof of income 

• Latest income tax return (ITR)
• Vouchers
• Payslips
• Issued OR (official receipt) to client or producer
   

5. Proof of Engagement that accounts for at least five (5) days of cancelled or suspended work from March 15 to April 14, 2020

• Call Sheet
• Text messages
• E-mails
• Contract of Service
• Certificate of Engagement
• Any Certification signed by the employer or producer
   

6. Proof of Cancellation within the period of March 15 to April 14, 2020

• E-mails or text messages regarding suspension of work
• Notice of cancellation, etc.  

3. Submit the documents online to the FDCP National Registry at [email protected]. Although hard copy applications are discouraged during the Enhanced Community Quarantine, there are DEAR Program drop boxes at the FDCP Office located at 855 T.M. Kalaw Street, Ermita, Manila. 

Once your DEAR ACTION! application is approved, FDCP personnel will deposit the P8,000 to your bank account or will send it through a money remittance service. If your DEAR ACTION! application is approved but you have incomplete requirements, you will be given 21 calendar days from the date of approval to complete your documents. Failure to submit documentary requirements will result in the denial of your DEAR ACTION! assistance. 

As the DEAR Program is a government fund and in the spirit of serving the AV industry, beneficiaries are required to participate in two (2) events, activities, or projects led or supported by FDCP as a return service. This should be done for free within two (2) years from the receipt of the DEAR ACTION! financial assistance.  

Meanwhile, FDCP has opened the DEAR for Independent Film Companies for AV companies that are interested to apply for DEAR ACTION! on behalf of their freelance workers, provided that they meet all of the qualifications and requirements stated above. A company applying for the DEAR ACTION! must have a production or business that was suspended as a direct result of COVID-19. An extra step is the need to verify the company’s legitimacy. Here are the requirements for companies applying for DEAR ACTION! on behalf of its freelancers:

1. Copy of the notice of current membership to the National Registry for Companies (NRC) 

• For non-members, the NRC application may be filed together with the DEAR application.

2. Filled out DEAR for Independent Film Companies Application Form
    
3. Affidavit of Unemployment for each eligible worker

• Template is available at http://fdcp.ph/dear-program 
• No need to notarize for now but company representative’s signature must be affixed on the form
   

4. Copy of any proof of income for each eligible worker

• Latest income tax return (ITR)
• Vouchers
• Payslips
• Issued OR (official receipt) to client or producer
   

5. Proof of Engagement of each worker with the company that accounts for at least five (5) days of cancelled or suspended work from March 15 to April 14, 2020

• Call Sheet
• Contract of Service
• Certificate of Engagement
• Any Certification signed by the company owner or producer
   

6. Evidence of Unemployment of each eligible worker within the period of March 15 to April 14, 2020

• E-mails or text messages regarding suspension of work
• Notice of cancellation, etc.

For more information, kindly contact:

FDCP NATIONAL REGISTRY

Mobile: +63 917 800 3227

E-mail: [email protected] 

Web page: http://fdcp.ph/dear-program (downloadable documents are DEAR Fact Sheet, DEAR ACTION! Form, Certificate of Engagement, and Affidavit of Unemployment)

Facebook page: http://facebook.com/FDCPNationalRegistry 

Address: 855 T.M. Kalaw Street, Ermita, Manila

The cover photo is from the set of “Lola Igna,” the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2019 Best Picture.