Political, Not: Christian San Augustin’s Initiatives for Uplifting Musicians
Written By Gabrielle Chan
Music has long been a pillar of culture and entertainment in the Philippines. A unique national style and sound developed throughout the years, creating nostalgia in familiar harmonies and melodies to the Filipino ear. The music industry purveys through all areas of life, along with the musicians and entertainers who facilitate it; from birthday parties, to weddings, to church hymns and showcases of nationalism, music is present. The passion behind entertainment and its prevalence in Filipino life is a significant impetus that drives Christian San Agustin to run for Congress this election.
The current state of business for entertainers in the Philippines is, according to San Agustin, a disservice to their passion and livelihoods. Under his recently-formed party-list Ako Musikero, San Agustin hopes to uplift the lives of musicians and entertainers.
The Ako Musikero candidate, who grew up in San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City, was exposed to the music industry early on in life. His father was a movie director and musician in a band.
“I grew up seeing guys play guitars and drum sets, all sorts of musical instruments,” he said in an interview with Fascinating Features.
Ako Musikero began as an association for charity work and was founded by San Agustin in 2018. The decision to register as a party-list came as a result of living through the difficulties of the pandemic and seeing how difficult it was for musicians.
He realized that doing the amount of charity work he desired was not financially feasible as an individual, adding, “There are laws that gusto po namin ma ilagay sa gobyerno [we want to put in government], which is to uplift the lives of the musicians.”
Entering into politics, a completely different sector of society for him, was a decision made only recently in 2019 when he first officially registered the party-list. His community of musicians encouraged him to, asking him to be their leader to champion their collective initiatives.
“Walang ng lalakas ng loob na humarap ng mga problema sa musicians … I registered na man, po. Sabi ko, ‘lalakasan na lang yung loob ko.’ Actually, hindi akong politikong tao. Naaawa ako dun sa sector mga musikero na wala nag asikaso,” San Agustin explained.
(Nobody is tackling issues faced by musicians anymore.…so I registered [the party-list]. I said, ‘I’ll just strengthen my spirits.’ Actually, I’m not a political person. I feel bad for the musicians who aren’t being taken care of.”
Despite not being immersed in politics, San Agustin is willing to run to help his community, saying, “Isang beses lang dadaan sa mundo, edi tumulong lang ako kung kaya din lang tumulong.”
“[We] only go through the world once, so I just help if I can help too.”
A lack of representation for entertainers and musicians in government is a key factor in their livelihood and industry stagnancy. San Agustin claims that the current average pay for musicians is 500 pesos a night, which would be below the national minimum wage of 537 pesos a day. This statistic differentiates the more “popular” artists, as the candidate says, and smaller artists, who make significantly less income.
San Agustin believes that one major cause for musicians not obtaining nor petitioning for higher pay or benefits is the lack of recognition as an official profession.
He referred to the Artist Record Book (ARB), an official Philippine document issued by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) back in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s, which was officially recognized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in 2001. The ARB contained provisions that helped artists look for employment and secure benefits. Despite this, it was abolished later on. Knowing the value of this to performers, San Agustin hopes to bring it back, but this time, as the Entertainers Record Book. All entertainers, from buskers and disco jockeys to large artists and fiesta dancers, would be able to apply and receive benefits such as social security, insurance, and financial loans.
Aside from the Entertainer Record Book, the primary musician-centred initiatives lobbied by his party-list include proper wages and benefits, housing, and medical assistance.
With the impact music has on our lives, San Agustin hopes to, at the very least, shed light and bring attention to entertainers’ needs and issues. To musicians out there, San Agustin says, “Let us unite as one. There are some musicians having doubts [and thinking] that this is a political movement.
“No, hindi ito politica. Ito ay party-list na nag susolog ng karapatan ng bawat pilipino musikero sa ating bansa. Ito ay party-list na gustong i-uplift ng buhay ng mga musicians.”
(No, this is not politics. This is a party-list that upholds the rights of every Filipino musician in our country. It's a party-list that wants to uplift the lives of musicians.)
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Images from Ako Musikero’s Team
