THE prolonged community lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the livelihood of up to 400,000 cultural workers and artists, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts said on Thursday.
NCCA Executive Director Al Ryan Alejandre explained that most of their jobs involve dance, music, architecture, and visual arts and rely on large events and gatherings that remain prohibited while large parts of the country are still under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
“COVID-19 had a huge impact on our cultural workers and artists in the country because many of them are freelancers; they are not protected by employer-employee relationships. So they are the ones taking the brunt of this (lockdown). Based on our database there are around 2,650 groups with more or less 300,000 to 400,000 individuals who were affected,” he said.
“The impact is so widespread in this sector due to lost gigs… events had to be called off, all activities that offered work opportunities all gone. Many of our cultural workers and artists can’t find employment,” he added.
Alejandre said the NCCA has started releasing cash assistance to 14,520 freelance artists and cultural workers out of the agency funding of P76.8 million to tide them over until the MECQ is lifted and they can start looking for other sources of income.
NCCA Deputy Director Marichu Tellano said the commission is also conducting dialogues with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and various resident companies representing the cultural artists on steps that may be taken to improve the plight of workers in the sector.
She pointed out that majority of the projects that NCCA promotes involve big gatherings and face-to-face interactions ranging from workshops, festivals or outdoor and indoor performances which are all banned for the time being due to health risks.
“What we are looking at is a new platform where we can proceed with the program plans of the NCCA. We are ready to launch programs that we are bringing online starting with our Heritage Month this May. All activities originally lined up to be conducted in public spaces, we now have to release online,” she said.
The next step is ensuring the re-design of NCCA’s programs would include consideration on how these will provide sources of assistance for idle cultural workers.
“A key part of our plans is providing orientations and seminars for re-tooling our artists and cultural workers, to teach them how they can adapt. We are working with experts on helping our artists digitize their programs — be it on education, performances and festival,” she added.
The NCCA officials also expressed gratitude for some members of Congress who are supporting the passage of a supplemental budget that can provide additional help for affected freelance workers and artists.
