No one can question his passion for the arts
By Eva C. Visperas
CONG. Toff de Venecia is not your usual kind of congressman who’s more inclined to do infra projects rather than legislate, which is actually their primary work in Congress.
His love for the arts is evident in his district and art lovers/artists rejoice for having a congressman like him who supports them, always at the forefront in preserving and promoting arts and culture as a springboard to boost tourism, too.
At the height of the pandemic, he was non-stop in conducting committee hearings, patiently gathering information from resource persons as he fought for the creatives in a bill he was then advancing.
His unrelenting efforts bore sweet fruits with the passage of Republic Act 11904 or the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act. Just a little flashback, it was during the 18th Congress when, Cong. Toff filed the mother bill for this omnibus law.
After it became a law, he is considered s the champion of the local creative industries. Di agad maintindihan noon yan ng marami pero andyan lang pala yung talentong yan na kailangang pangalagaan kasi yan ang nagdadala ng kabuhayan ng maraming Pinoy.
From that landmark legislation which is now his legacy, Cong Toff becomes the ambassador himself of creative industries being a former child actor, writer, director, theatrical producer. Talagang alam niya kung ano yung sinasabi niya because he belongs.
Cong. Toff is unstoppable in pushing the welfare of the creatives in the country. In his turf, the Galila Arts Festival (March 10-19) was one clear proof how dedicated and consistent he is in his mission and advocacy. That, of course, is aside from his earlier successful Anakbanwa exhibit at the MacArthur House in West Central Elementary School in Dagupan.
Last Sunday (March 12), the third day of Galila Arts Fest, I was in Tondaligan Park to witness the on-the-spot live painting contest for high school students in the 4th District for the Gaygayan High and Gaygayan Royale which was an open category.
I was observing those who came, both from Pangasinan and visiting creatives from other parts of the country. Everyone was excited. Kitang-kita sa mga mata at kilos nila. Buhay na buhay!
While most officials would only stay for few minutes or an hour in an event they sponsor, Cong. Toff was there from beginning to end, mingling with the people, joining them in the euphoria. At times, he would just sit on the cemented area of the pavilion to relax a bit, no drama, he is just used to it, like an ordinary mortal. That was about five hours.
If you are a visitor, you might even mistake him as just an ordinary guy. Hindi gaya ng iba, simple lang sya at walang yabang sa sarli. Di mo aakalain na yung simpleng tao na yun ay anak pala nina five-time House Speaker JDV and the very popular former congresswoman Manay. He dresses up the way most of us do, in t-shirt and pants and slippers or sandals only. Kaya naman bet na bet sya ng mga kabataan.
But that’s exactly what Toff is. He is just one of us, simpleng tao, who knows and understands our plight.
Cong. Toff’s devotion to creative industries is deeply rooted. Remember Sampaguita Pictures? Cong Toff’s maternal grandfather was star-builder Doc Jose Perez. The congressman’s great grandfather Jose O. Vera, a former senator, was also one of the founding fathers of Philippines movies.
On De Venecia’s side, among his great-great-uncles was national artist Victorio Edades. Kaya talaga namang nananalaytay sa kanyang mga dugo ang pagiging creative.
No wonder Cong. Toff has that burning desire to make the creative industries of the Philippines a huge success and a major scale-up economic contributor.
The Filipino creatives in audio-visual media, design, fashion, performing arts, visual arts, publishing, digital interactive, to name a few, are everywhere around the globe.
Push pa more at siguradong the future is creative!
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