COVID-19 Coronavirus UPDATES

In one way or another, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged and affected all industries and workplaces, including the film and audiovisual industry. In response to the unprecedented threat of the pandemic, the government has imposed restrictions on public health and emergency management. The strict limitations in social and mass gatherings, physical distancing requirements, and disruptions to the supply chain have resulted in many film and audiovisual productions coming to a halt.

On June 7, 2020, the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) released Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2020-001 on the Health and Safety Protocols for the Conduct of Film and Audiovisual Production Shoots and Audiovisual Activities During COVID-19 Pandemic.

The JAO is a tripartite government issuance that sets the minimum public health and safety standards that production shoots must abide by to ensure that all film and audiovisual content workers are protected as operations resume during the pandemic. As line agencies that cover all sectors, DOH and DOLE cooperated with FDCP, which served as a participating agency in providing context, inputs, and recommendations on the health and safety guidelines governing film and audiovisual production activities.

The Order aims to provide guidance to all companies and workers for the resumption of production of film and the audiovisual content and other audiovisual activities following the established minimum public health standards for COVID-19 mitigation within various levels of community quarantine. It prescribes the necessary prevention, detection, and rapid response measures to be implemented while maintaining business continuity across the film and audiovisual sector.

Scope and Coverage

These guidelines cover the following sectors:

1. All film and audiovisual companies;
2. All film and audiovisual workers including but not limited to employees, regardless of employment status, and independent contractors/freelancers;
3. All  forms  of  film  and  audiovisual  content  including  but not limited to motion  picture,  film, television, animation, advertising, and other audiovisual content;
4. All production stages from Pre-production, Production or Principal Photography, and Post-Production;
5. All venues of production, including on-location, studios, workplace, production sites, post-production facilities, and other venues; and 
6. All others concerned with the conduct of Film and Audiovisual Production Shoots in all stages

To assist the DOLE Bureau of Working Conditions and the LGUs with monitoring, and the DOH with contract tracing, SAFE FILMING will be managing a central register of all projects intending to shoot. This registration is part of the industry-standard that the DOLE Bureau of Working Conditions has requested and expects productions to align with.