- Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto and senator-elect Lito Lapid described Eddie Garcia’s accident as an eye opener for the entertainment industry
- Lapid said he would study possible legislation on occupational safety and tap members of the industry for their cooperation
- Judy Ann Santos and Sharon Cuneta recently gained criticism from netizens for their sentiments on safety measures on sets
Eddie Garcia’s death caught the whole country off guard and people mourned the loss of such a legendary icon. Many have stressed that his tragic death could have been avoided if only there were safety measures observed on the set where he met an accident.
It was on June 8 when Garcia tripped over a wire and fell head first on the set of the GMA Network series Rosang Agimat. It was reported that it took time for him to be brought to the hospital in Tondo. He was later transferred to Makati Medical Center where they debunked earlier reports that the actor had a severe heart attack and clarified that he had a cervical fracture.
Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto and Lito Lapid said his accident was an eye-opener to underscore the importance of occupational safety regulations in the entertainment industry.
Lapid, an action star and director who co-starred with Garcia in the ABS-CBN primetime series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, said he would study possible legislation on occupational safety and tap members of the industry for their cooperation.
“Pag-aaralan namin ‘yan kung ano pa, kakausapin natin, magkakaroon ng suggestion mga stuntman, mga direktor. Kamukha ko, ako fight director din ako, stuntman din ako,’ yan kailangan meron talagang safety, kaya lang aksidente lang talaga ‘yong nangyari sa kanya,” he said.
Garcia passed away at the age of 90 on June 20, Thursday, after being comatose for almost two weeks. Many celebrities and Filipinos had hoped and prayed for his recovery but it was tragically not meant to be.
Meanwhile, GMA Network has said it is reviewing the video of the incident and investigating the absence of a medical team on site.
WATCH: Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto says the accident on set that led to Eddie Garcia's death is an 'eye-opener'. pic.twitter.com/YPdAdpmPvj
— Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) June 23, 2019
Vilma Santos-Recto pointed out that throughout her 50 years in showbiz, she noticed that safety measures were rarely present during shoots. “This is not the perfect time for fingerpointing. Siguro eye-opener lang ito para malaman nila. Kasi I’ve been in show business mahigit nang 50 years, hindi naman all the time noong araw pa na merong ambulansya sa shooting or merong doktor.
“But since it happened, siguro magiging eye-opener na ‘to na karapat-dapat lamang, lalo na kung action films, na in every shooting or taping ay required na meron tayong medics talaga,” Vilma said.
Meanwhile on Instagram, Judy Ann Santos made her tribute to the veteran actor and stressed that the accident may have been prevented if only safety measures were followed.
Her post garnered mixed reactions from netizens. While some supported her, others criticized her for seemingly blaming on a TV Network for the actor’s death. However, she clarified that she was not pointing fingers at anyone and that she would just like all the people concerned in the entertainment industry to be more careful.
Megastar Sharon Cuneta, who worked with the late actor in her very first film, vented her anger on her social media account, also saying that it was an accident that could have been prevented. She got flak from netizens for saying that ‘Manoy’Eddie ‘should not have died yet’ if only there was no “neglect of safety for the actors” that led to his death.
