FDCP Chair Liza Diño, tinanggal sa MMFF

OPISYAL na miyembro ng executive committee ng Metro Manila Film Festival si FDCP Chair Liza Diño Seguerra.

Pero dahil umano sa conflict of interest, inalis siya ng pamunuan ng nasabing annual local film festival.

Ang utos na tanggalin siya sa puwesto ay nagmula mismo sa MMFF Chair na si Danilo Lim.

Sa sulat  na ipinadala ni Lim kay Liza, sinabi nito na taong 2016 pa ay gumawa na ng hakbang ang FDCP Chair na mailipat sa pamamahala nito ang  MMFF, bagay na nakikitang conflict of interest ni Lim.

Bilang miyembro ng MMFF Executive Committee, inaasahan  din niyang magiging kabalikat ito ng filmfest sa halip na akusahan itong may kinalaman sa mga kontrobersiyang naganap.

Paliwanag pa ni  Lim, “no longer tenable” ang membership ni Liza sa Executive Committee dahil ang mga hakbang daw ng FDCP chairman ay “inimical to MMFF and reek of conflict of interest.”

Matatandaang sa social media post ni MMDA Spokesperson Celine Pialago, ipinakita nito ang kopya ng umano’y proposal ni Liza na ilipat sa FDCP ang MMFF na naka-address sa Pangulo.

Ang buwelta ni Pialago sa kanyang caption, “Ang MMFF nga po belongs to MMDA.”

Taong 2017 nang maging opisyal na miyembro si Liza ng MMFF Executive Committee. Ito rin ang taon na na-appoint si Lim bilang MMDA chairman.

August 2016 naman nang ma-appoint si Liza bilang chairman ng FDCP.

Heto ang teksto ng sulat ni Lim kay Diño:

Dear Ms. Diño:

“We write in connection with your membership in the Executive Committee of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

“As early as 2016, you already made efforts to transfer management of MMFF from Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). You even wrote a letter to Malacañang asking for extension of festival period for MMFF and to transfer chairmanship of MMFF from the undersigned to you. You even directly accused MMFF of being involved in controversies, an institution to which you supposedly belong and as a member of the Executive Committee should be defending. Recent events and information coming to our office indicate that you have not given up on your dream to take over the chairmanship of MMFF and to take it away from MMDA and is actively pursuing the same.

“We honestly believe therefore that your membership in the Executive Committee is no longer tenable as your actions are inimical to MMFF and reek of conflict of interest. We regret not your removal from MMFF but rather that it has come this far. After your first botched attempt to transfer administration of MMFF to you and your office, we were expecting you to resign out of delicadeza. For this reason, we would like to inform you that we have decided to withdraw your appointment as a member of the Executive Committee.

“Thank you and best regards.”

As of this writing, hindi pa nagbibigay si Liza ng pahayag niya tungkol dito.  (Archie Liao)