by Kate Quiambao

Every February, the Philippines celebrates National Arts Month with high hopes of showcasing the ingenious talents of Filipinos to build a strong sense of nationhood and develop respect for cultural diversity. In order to honor artists, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts organizes events geared toward preserving and promoting Philippine culture and art through supervising all government cultural agencies as they coordinate with one another to implement month-long programs and activities. 

However, despite an entire month dedicated to celebrating it, there still lies the stigma attached to art and art degrees caused by the well-known imposed traditional beliefs to Filipinos. 

Collegiate degrees related to artistic media are deemed irrelevant, easy, worthless, and basically any adjective that encapsulates the thought that they have lesser value compared to the degrees related to business and science and technology. “There’s no money in arts,” “Just pursue medicine,” “Take a real course,” are often the reactions of parents who hear their child bring up taking an art-related degree for college, alongside the deprecating gazes and lengthy lectures to inflict a whole new career decision for their child’s future. 

These beliefs have become a staple in the nation’s society, hindering people from pursuing their passion due to the deceiving ideologies passed from one generation to another. However, only a few people realize that the music they play, the shows and movies they watch, and the museums they post on their Instagram stories are produced by people who came from collegiate degrees that are looked down upon in our country. 

Along with the said neglect comes the issue last October 2022 regarding prohibiting Korean and other foreign-made films in the Philippines to give way to locally produced entertainment. In this matter, Senator Jinggoy Estrada admitted that he is considering making a proposal to ban Korean dramas since he believes that they are the reason as to why local actors are losing their jobs. With this, it can be said that this issue is a reflection on how our government chooses to create a monopoly in the face of competition. Instead of providing all manners of support in the production of quality Filipino films through funding and development aid, they would rather choose to ban the contender. 

The underappreciation of art, though, is not completely to be blamed on the lack of government support. The absence of social support from our society also plays a huge role in belittling the sector; video and photo editing are believed to be cheap services. Writings, paintings, sketches, graphic designs, and commercial production are also considered basic and effortless, completely ignoring the fact that these entail a lot of effort, time, and creative juices from artists. As most people consider art as a hobby, a lot of them would think that paying for it sounds absurd. 

Actor Jameson Blake would be the epitome of this ideology due to his issue last 2018, where he was called out on Twitter upon asking for any graphic designers to make him a cover photo in exchange for a shoutout. The way he perceived such artists serves as the reason why artists continue to struggle from innate financial instability with little to no job security, benefits, and pension, all while the efforts are tantamount to that of other sectors. 

In this dehumanizing world, it is just essential to have a medium where people can actually be human, and this can be attained through art. Who we are as individuals is crafted by art, and so we should view it as the backbone of our society. Artists do not only inspire, but develop connections, community structure, and the overall well-being of their viewers. As they fill this monotonous world with color, we, in return, ought to strengthen our support for the industry that illuminates, especially in a country that has time and again failed to do so.