The shutdown of ABS-CBN’s Film Restoration Project, known as Sagip Pelikula, announced on Thursday, May 1 is seen to become a profound cultural loss for the Philippines, as the country faces the risk of losing more of its cinematic heritage.
After 14 years of rescuing and reviving over 240 classic and contemporary Filipino films, the project ended on March 31, 2025—a casualty of the network’s 2020 franchise denial and its subsequent shutdown in 2020 under then-president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
The project’s head, Leo Katigbak, said that in the last few months of the campaign the team gave their all with the “meager” resources left.
ALSO READ: ABS-CBN Film Restoration Project ends 14-year run with over 200 remastered films
“Preserving the past to inspire the future is a never-ending quest and we hope we were able to encourage many including a new generation to take up the challenge,” Katigbak wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, May 1.
Sagip Pelikula was more than a technical effort; it was a mission to preserve the nation’s memory.
“Sagip Pelikula offers tangible snapshots or records of different eras, whether it’s the theme, the setting, or the sensibility,” Katigbak once said, underscoring the project’s role in bridging generations and fostering national pride.
The initiative earned international recognition for its cultural impact, exposing younger Filipinos to the country’s cinematic legacy.
Final closure
“Sagip Pelikula” was first slated to close in 2020 immediately following the network’s shutdown, triggering a wave of grief among filmmakers, cultural advocates and ordinary Filipinos. Katigbak said ABS-CBN CEO and President Carlo Katigbak afforded the department another five years of operations, delaying its closure “with a scaled-down group.”
Since that time, project head Katigbak said his team went on to restore many “noteworthy” films.
The 2025 closure—for the second and final time—is similarly met with lament on social media.
“It’s a sad day not just for film, but for Pinoy culture and history as well,” one Reddit user wrote, adding invectives directed at Duterte and SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta. The congressman was among those who led the campaign to effectively shut down the network.
A commenter on a media archiving group on Facebook wrote: “Laki ng ambag nun ‘Sagip Pelikula’ sa film industry sa pamamagitan ng pagpe-preserve ng mga old and classic Filipino films by restoring them.”
“Andami pa sana na pede pa nilang marestore na pelikula. But sadly, the company can no longer push through that advocacy because of financial constraint. They have no choice but to stop it,” the user wrote.
Others on Reddit pointed to the government’s role, with comments blaming the loss on “butt hurt ego and tantrums of a Mad lunatic man” and warning that “no other company [is] giving this” kind of cultural service.
Should gov’t take it on?
The project’s closure exposes the fragility of Philippine film heritage. Despite the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ efforts, only a handful of films can be restored annually due to limited budgets.
Without ABS-CBN’s dedicated archive and restoration unit, many titles risk being forgotten, especially those languishing in private collections.
The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, a respected critics’ group, warned that the loss of ABS-CBN’s archives could lead to “inevitable illiteracy” in cultural memory, stressing the government’s struggle to maintain effective preservation programs.
Filmmaker Jose Javier Reyes called the project’s planned closure in 2020 devastating, warning that without such resources, many films could be lost forever.
“Restoration and archiving are not the work of a private company, but of the government,” he said, noting that public institutions lack the funding and facilities to take over the effort.
Actor Bembol Roco, meanwhile, added then, “Film is a reflection of our culture. This is ours,” urging for new champions to continue the work. — Camille Diola
