artists | The Adobo Chronicles

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Believe it or not, artists are not considered professionals in the Philippines. But that is going to change soon, if a proposed Congressional bill filed by Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas, Jr. is passed and becomes law.

House Bill 6068 seeks the recognition of artists as professionals so they could be accorded the proper rights and privileges due them, according to a report by GMA News.

Under the bill, an artist is defined as “any person who creates or gives creative expression to, or recreates works of art, who considers his artistic creation to be an essential part of his life, who contributes in this way to the development of art and culture and who is or asks to be recognized as an artist.”

It also includes con artists, whose modus operandi are getting more and more creative and sophisticated.

The bill said an accredited artist refers to an artist who is a Filipino, at least 18 years of age, who complies with the requirements for accreditation provided for in the bill, or those members of existing arts guilds duly registered and accredited as provided for by the law.

In anticipation of the bill’s passage, Filipino con artists — including pickpockets, manufacturers of fake I.D.s and some scamming personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) — have been registering their creative craft in droves.

It’s more fun in the Philippines!

LOS ANGELES, California (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Foreign concert artists continue to run afoul of the Philippines’ strict moral and other standards, and they are uniting to skip the country for their world music tours.

In 2012, a Lady Gaga Manila concert attracted widespread protest due to supposedly anti-Christian lyrics in one of the singer’s hits. And earlier this year, two members of One Direction paid bonds of roughly $4,500 before their performance in Manila, due to their casual admission of marijuana use in a video released last year.

This week, Grammy Award winner Chris Brown was barred from leaving the country after a one-day concert in Manila because of fraud charges brought against him by an influential church group. The charges stemmed from the singer’s non-appearance at a New Year’s Eve concert at the Philippine Arena, owned by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ).

Earlier today, Madonna, who had just announced she has chosen the Philippines as the only country in Asia that would be included in her Rebel Heart Tour, said she decided to cancel her February 2016 concert at the Mall of Asia in Manila, in solidarity with Brown.

The boycott could either deprive Filipinos of the chance to see their favorite international artists, or possibly enhance the careers of local singers and performers. After all, Filipino artists are among the best in the world.