Editors’ Guild Helps Veteran Movie Press

ASIDE FROM giving out awards to films and entertainment journalists—past and present through Eddys—the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd) has embarked on another project, this time a socio-civic activity where the officers and members of the group share their ten-cent worth of ideas on how to alleviate the economic condition of movie writers, columnists or editors, especially the veterans, and at the same time recognize their contributions to the upliftment of the local entertainment industry.

SPEEd recently held a fellowship get-together billed as “Taking Care of Our Own” at Max’s Restaurant in Matalino Street in Teachers Village in Quezon City.

The gathering aimed to lessen the budgetary burden of senior entertainment writers who are unemployed, self-employed or don’t enjoy the privileges of employment tenure very especially during these hard times.

One of the organization’s active members exclaimed that “it is one way of saying we want to share our blessings.”

To wit.

Most of SPEEd officers and members are officially employed by multimedia companies so they have regular income but independent or freelance writers depend mostly on contributor’s fees whose rates vary depending on the stability of the media business they work for, popularity of the name of the writer, weight of the story written or broadcasted etc.

According to Art Tapalla, a jobless entertainment editor and one of the recipients of SPEEd’s support, “karamihan sa amin sa movie reporting, wala nang bayad ang isinusulat namin. Umaasa na lang kami sa paabut-abot ng mga kasamahan namin, artista man o direktor o prodyuser o kapwa manunulat (most of us are paid just pittance or aren’t paid anymore. We only bank on the generosity of our colleagues, actors or actresses, directors or producers or fellow writers who fork out money from their own pockets).”

During the event, Art said, each of the recipients were asked to speak in the program proper but he admitted he missed to say one of his sentiments.

“I was overwhelmed so I forgot to say that who among the members and officers of SPEEd could give me a space in their platforms,” quipped Tapalla who started his movie writing profession in the mid-80s until the onset of the pre-pandemic era in such outlets as Tinig ng Masa, the broadsheet in Filipino published by freedom fighter Jose Burgos, Jr., Jingle Extra Hot, a fanzine published by Gilbert Guillermo, Artista Magazine churned out weekly by the Davilas from the publishing mogul Roces’ bloodline, Saksi tabloid which Dennis Cuyegkeng invested on, Llamado published by Vilma Manzo etc.

Which brought to mind then OpinYon and now PH Insider Editor Luchie Aclan Arguelles who asked Art to contribute to the former even in the vernacular.

“Nagbigay rin naman ako sa OpinYon kahit hindi entertainment story pero ang sabi sa akin ng editorial, dagdagan ko pa pero hindi ko na nagawa (I also gave an article to OpinYon even it wasn’t an entertainment story but the editorial said I should revise my submission which I failed to do),” recalled Tapalla.

At the moment, what Art needs is a regular entertainment editing job.

Meanwhile, the SPEEd also recognized the contributions of writers like entertainment stories, personal or otherwise, controversial items which the beat is known for, and industry news.

Aside from Tapalla, the other recipients of SPEEd’s care on fellow media practitioners, active or inactive, who made it in person are familiar bylines like Nitz Miralles, Erlinda Rapadas T., Mercy Lejarde, Jefferson Fernando, Chit Ramos and Arman Reyes.  

Rowena Agilada, Ronald K. Constantino and this writer were also invited to receive benefits but due to some unforeseen circumstances couldn’t make it.

Present during the affair was SPEEd President Tessa Mauricio Arriola and her fellow SPEEders Eugene Asis, Roldan F. Castro, Maricris Valdez, Rhon Romulo, Gerry Olea, Salve Asis, Ana Pingol, Jun Lalin, among others.

SPEEder Nestor G. Cuartero, who called me regarding the event, wasn’t around because of an unavoidable commitment.

Some of the sponsors for the outreach included Claire Papa and Cecile Roxas of Unilab, Max Loyola and Daphne Abello of PLDT Home, Heart Evangelista, Yolly Crisanto of Globe Telecom, Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo, QC Councilor Alfred Vargas, GMA Network, Gigi Santiago Lara, Vice-President of Musical, Variety, Specials and Alternative Productions at GMA Network, Inc., ABS-CBN, PTV4 General Manager Malou Choa Fagar, Wilson Lee Flores of Kamuning Bakery, SPEEd member Jun Lalin, Singer Andrea Gutierrez and mom Rowena Gutierrez, Marianne De Vera of Pascual Laboratories, Purple Hearts and Purple Hearts Foundation , MCD Multi Media, Inc., Rosbel Bunag and Clarice Artates of Startworks and Vice Mayor Marcos Mamay of Nunungan in Lanao del Norte.