Help Support your Local Freelance Artists in the Philippines!
The Issue
Art has been a prominent figure amongst the Filipino Culture. From its music, paintings and writings, Art has always been established in the roots of our ancestry. There are great artists like Fernando Amorsolo and Juan Luna, who will always be remembered in history books. But these artists and their work, aren't the only ones that we should know about.
Despite Art's prominent figure in society, it is often difficult to pursue due to its lack of support offered not only by the local government, but the Filipino people as well. More recent artists are often shunned, saying that their work is unoriginal or not meeting a certain standard or not as good as their Western counterparts. Unfortunately, a lot of people underestimate the amount of work that goes into the creative process.
Professionals were not the only ones who were hardly hit by the pandemic. It’s also undeniably a challenging period for freelance artists. As thousands of full-time employees were laid off, projects were also canceled or delayed. According to the Salary Explorer website, a person working as an Artist in the Philippines typically earn around 37,400 PHP per month. Do take note that this is the best case scenario, assuming that the employee in question achieved higher education. In this instance, another website namely Indeed.com states that, "The average salary for an artist (as of 2021) is 16,581 PHP per month." Further lowering the pay indicated from the previous website mentioned. It is also worth mentioning that the increased poverty rates of the Philippines is not doing as well as people envisioned. The 2018 first quarter results of a survey conducted by Rivas (2018) revealed that 42% (9.8 million) of families considered themselves poor. In the assumption that most Artists belong to these families, it is sufficient to say that they lack the support to live a decent life.
What does this entail? This information accounts for the fact that Artists do not have laws implementing a way to guarantee their rights. Although there are rights implemented towards the employees such as the Labor Code, we often forget the fact that the Creative field is constantly undervalued and underappreciated. According to Nakadai K. (2016), "Most people consider art as a hobby and paying an artist seems ridiculous." Because of this reasoning, many artists were continuously exploited for their ideas and labor. The only way an artist can truly wrestle their rights through the workforce is through the government which established the Artist’s Welfare Protection and Information Act Of 2015. And although it sets to establish the protection of artists under the freelancing headspace, it ignores those who work in corporate companies that plan to exploit them.
Raising this petition will not only spread awareness regarding the concern, but will also initiate a plan to help our localized designers and freelance illustrators with their legal rights. If this petition successfully goes through, it is highly expected for there to be a review of the established law which will likely ensure that freelance Artists are provided a decent amount of pay and exposure in exchange for their work.
With that in mind, this petition is aimed towards the youth who make up a majority of today's society. It will not only benefit the Artists who work in question, but also to the fellow youth and Art advocates who hold a passion for various art forms.
It’s never been easier to cooperate.
Sign this petition to pledge your support of this effort, either individually, or as a company!
References:
Abinuman, A. (2017, July 22). What's wrong with Filipino art and why is it under-appreciated? Candymag.com. https://www.candymag.com/lifestyle/what-s-wrong-with-filipino-art-and-why-is-it-under-appreciated-a1580-20170722
Artist average salary in Philippines 2021. (n.d.). Salary Explorer | Salary and Cost of Living Comparison. https://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=171&loctype=1&job=45&jobtype=3
Cristobal, L. (2018, July 12). Why creative work is constantly undervalued. CNN. https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2018/07/12/creative-work.html
Herrington, D. (n.d.). Culture & arts | Philippine culture. live and retire. https://www.livinginthephilippines.com/culture-and-people/philippine-culture/969-culture-arts
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The Issue
Art has been a prominent figure amongst the Filipino Culture. From its music, paintings and writings, Art has always been established in the roots of our ancestry. There are great artists like Fernando Amorsolo and Juan Luna, who will always be remembered in history books. But these artists and their work, aren't the only ones that we should know about.
Despite Art's prominent figure in society, it is often difficult to pursue due to its lack of support offered not only by the local government, but the Filipino people as well. More recent artists are often shunned, saying that their work is unoriginal or not meeting a certain standard or not as good as their Western counterparts. Unfortunately, a lot of people underestimate the amount of work that goes into the creative process.
Professionals were not the only ones who were hardly hit by the pandemic. It’s also undeniably a challenging period for freelance artists. As thousands of full-time employees were laid off, projects were also canceled or delayed. According to the Salary Explorer website, a person working as an Artist in the Philippines typically earn around 37,400 PHP per month. Do take note that this is the best case scenario, assuming that the employee in question achieved higher education. In this instance, another website namely Indeed.com states that, "The average salary for an artist (as of 2021) is 16,581 PHP per month." Further lowering the pay indicated from the previous website mentioned. It is also worth mentioning that the increased poverty rates of the Philippines is not doing as well as people envisioned. The 2018 first quarter results of a survey conducted by Rivas (2018) revealed that 42% (9.8 million) of families considered themselves poor. In the assumption that most Artists belong to these families, it is sufficient to say that they lack the support to live a decent life.
What does this entail? This information accounts for the fact that Artists do not have laws implementing a way to guarantee their rights. Although there are rights implemented towards the employees such as the Labor Code, we often forget the fact that the Creative field is constantly undervalued and underappreciated. According to Nakadai K. (2016), "Most people consider art as a hobby and paying an artist seems ridiculous." Because of this reasoning, many artists were continuously exploited for their ideas and labor. The only way an artist can truly wrestle their rights through the workforce is through the government which established the Artist’s Welfare Protection and Information Act Of 2015. And although it sets to establish the protection of artists under the freelancing headspace, it ignores those who work in corporate companies that plan to exploit them.
Raising this petition will not only spread awareness regarding the concern, but will also initiate a plan to help our localized designers and freelance illustrators with their legal rights. If this petition successfully goes through, it is highly expected for there to be a review of the established law which will likely ensure that freelance Artists are provided a decent amount of pay and exposure in exchange for their work.
With that in mind, this petition is aimed towards the youth who make up a majority of today's society. It will not only benefit the Artists who work in question, but also to the fellow youth and Art advocates who hold a passion for various art forms.
It’s never been easier to cooperate.
Sign this petition to pledge your support of this effort, either individually, or as a company!
References:
Abinuman, A. (2017, July 22). What's wrong with Filipino art and why is it under-appreciated? Candymag.com. https://www.candymag.com/lifestyle/what-s-wrong-with-filipino-art-and-why-is-it-under-appreciated-a1580-20170722
Artist average salary in Philippines 2021. (n.d.). Salary Explorer | Salary and Cost of Living Comparison. https://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=171&loctype=1&job=45&jobtype=3
Cristobal, L. (2018, July 12). Why creative work is constantly undervalued. CNN. https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2018/07/12/creative-work.html
Herrington, D. (n.d.). Culture & arts | Philippine culture. live and retire. https://www.livinginthephilippines.com/culture-and-people/philippine-culture/969-culture-arts
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Petition created on April 21, 2021