FREE CLINIC AT MOWELFUND ON SATURDAY

As part of its 33rd year anniversary, MOWELFUND will hold a free clinic, together with bingo, fund and games, for its members and their families from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 17, 2008.

This will be held at the MOWELFUND Plaza at 66 Rosario Drive, Cubao, Quezon City. Members are reminded to bring their MOWELFUND IDs.

The free clinic is one of the seven benefits in the agency’s Social Welfare Program to help poor and underpaid movie workers who work on a per-picture basis such as stuntmen, bit players, technicians, checkers, make-up artists, cameramen, props men and other film crew members who do not have private insurance coverages and SSS benefits.

The program provides the following benefits to its members: medical aid for hospital confinement; surgical aid; continuing medication benefit; livelihood program; housing; and death aid.

For the past 32 years, MOWELFUND has extended medical aid to
more than 4,400 members and death aid to more than 600 members.

MOWELFUND, which stands for Movie Workers Welfare Foundation, Inc., is a non-stock profit social welfare, educational and industry development foundartion organized and established in 1974.

It was founded by former Philippine President Joseph E. Estrada while he was still the mayor of San Juan and the president of the Philippine Motion Picture Producers’ Association (PMPPA) for the welfare of workers in the local film industry.

The MOWELFUND has expanded the Manila Film Festival into what is now the popular Metro Manila Film Festival Philippines, also on its 33rd year this December.

The organization also helped rationalize the movie industry, working for the creation of agencies like the Film Academy of the Philippines.

Since 1979, the MOWELFUND Film Institute (MFI) has implemented its educational program through its training center that caters to the needs of the mainstream film industry and independent cinema.

It seeks to develop a wider base of filmmakers, alternative film venues and wider film usage in reponse to the need to raise consciousness among filmmakers and audiences for a better film culture in the country.

The MFI is active in the following areas: education, audience development, archiving, library and research, production and publication.

One of its programs is the safekeeping of film artifacts and records of the past. It maintains a library that keeps a wealth of data on the local film industry.