Aunt Ichu Maceda: Pionerring Force Behind Renowned Film Institutions

BY CONG. TOFF DE VENECIA

I just attended a Film Development Council of the Philippines tribute for my beloved aunt, Manay Ichu Maceda.

She was the pioneering force behind such storied film institutions such as the Metro Manila Film Festival, Mowelfund, Film Development Council, Film Academy of the Philippines, Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association, Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, and many others.

Marichu "Manay Ichu" Maceda. Photo Credit: GMA.Network.Com

She produced the critically acclaimed film Batch ‘81, and many other films under Sampaguita Pictures which was a movie outfit which my grandfather Doc Perez started.

Manay Ichu was a gamechanger and was vital to the Philippine movie industry’s sustainability and evolution in its first 100 years.

Emboldened by her fire and her legacy, and as the film industry faces new challenges today amidst the pandemic and digitization, I will endeavor as best I can and in my capacity as a legislator to continue the fight that she started as we transition into the next 100 years of Philippine cinema.

We miss you everyday Manay Ichu.

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MY THOUGHTS

1. How do we empower our local MSMEs such that we can transition them from cottage industries into becoming globally competitive brands?

2. Where craftsmen are not in short supply in the 4th District of Pangasinan, how do we upskill them to encourage the evolution of more designers?

3. Better yet, how can we encourage the young to continue the good work their forebears have started and then dare to innovate, disrupt, and transform towards creative industry 4.0?

4. While we are in the thick of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, how can we encourage traditional businesses to develop an online presence and use social media to enhance their B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) engagement?

5. More importantly, how do we encourage our MSMEs to be bold, to dream, to explore endless possibilities, and develop the insatiable curiosity, appetite, and drive to see them through?