NCCA pushes for cultural workers, artists’ welfare in Bayanihan 2

 

DAVAO CITY, June 26 (PIA)- The National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is proposing a stimulus program for over a hundred thousand cultural workers, artists and freelancers in the proposed Bayanihan to Recover-As-One Act (Bayanihan 2).

“Our proposals have already been included in the Congress version and is still being discussed in the Senate,” bared NCCA executive-director Al Ryan Alejandre.

Among the proposal is a P12,000 per month (good for two months) package for each beneficiary (cultural worker, artist, freelancer). Alejandre said they are proposing a P3.1-billion funding for the program.

Another proposal is a P100,000 fund for each cultural organization or group. A budget of P1.5 billion is being recommended for the group fund.

Alejandre said they are targeting 125,000 beneficiaries for the P12,000 monthly (good for two months) fund and 15,000 groups for the P100,000 fund.

He said the assistance for cultural groups will be used by the beneficiary group or organization for their operations so that no one will be displaced.

The NCCA executive director said the assistance is more of a stimulus to help these people recover. He said the culture and arts sector is among those hard-hit by the crisis and is not included in the assistance programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

“The artists were not considered as low income, hindi siya masali sa DSWD, hindi rin siya maisali sa DOLE,” Alejandre said.

If approved under the Bayanihan 2, cultural workers, artists, freelancers can now be included as beneficiaries in the government’s assistance programs funded under a stimulus package rather than the NCCA realigning its budget for the purpose.

With the approval of Malacañang, the NCCA was able to reprogram a total of P76.8 million to provide around 15,000 cultural workers and artists with a P5,000 cash aid to help them tide over the crisis during Bayanihan 1.  (PIA/RG Alama)

 

 

Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)