MMFF funds taxpayers’ money, Atienza insists

BUHAY party-list Rep. Lito Atienza disagreed with and corrected Chairman Emerson Carlos of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for stating that Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) funds are mere donations from local government units, implying that the funds are not taxpayers’ money and not subject to audit.

“I refuse to accept the definition of the amusement tax given by Chairman Carlos. On the contrary, the income of the MMFF comes from the share of the local government units [that] they give up in favor of the festival. Donated as it is, these are public funds. There is no way that this taxpayers’ money, in the form of amusement taxes, can be considered private funds, as per the distorted view of Chairman Carlos,” Atienza said during the hearing of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development.