Do only ‘ghost’ projects get funding?

Working in the arts pays great dividends – spiritual, psychological – but rarely financial or economic. For every successful musician, actor, dancer or visual artist, there are thousands of others still struggling, doggedly working at their craft day in and day out, for hours on end, just to be better, to improve their mastery of their craft.

I can’t carry a tune or play a chord or do a jeté, but I have had the privilege of working with and supporting artists. I feed on their creative energies and vicariously, my heart is filled and my spirit uplifted.

The performing arts world cheered when RA 11392 (National Performing Arts Companies Law) was signed in 2018. Six years later, national companies in theater (Tanghalang Pilipino), dance (Philippine Ballet Theater) and choral music (Philippine Madrigal Singers) were named, plus an orchestra grant (Manila Symphony Orchestra).

As a trustee, I was so proud and excited for Tanghalang Pilipino. Beyond the much-deserved accolade, the distinction came with an annual P10-million grant for five years, which meant a little relief from constant fund-raising and, more importantly, a raise for the actors and staff to above starvation wages and more scholarships for the Actors Company school. Plans for the season were expanded, especially for the company’s 40th anniversary season in 2026-2027.

But alas, we rejoiced too soon, because as of this month, no money has been released, and it looks like no funds are forthcoming. The companies were told, in no uncertain terms, that the NPAC program “did not receive any subsidy/budget from Congress or the Department of Budget for 2025.”

TP artistic director Nanding Josef has written to the heads of the two institutions administering the NPAC – the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts – asking for a meeting to clarify the issue but has so far not received any response or reaction. In the meantime, in true theater tradition, the show must go on, and TP’s first production for the season opened on Sept. 12 and is ongoing on all weekends until Oct. 12 at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez at the CCP Complex. Pingkian, Isang Musikal explores the life and revolutionary journey of Emilio Jacinto, the Brains of the Katipunan. It swept seven awards at the 2024 Aliw Awards, including Best Musical (pardon the unabashed plug).

TP has been at the forefront of Philippine theater for 39 years, presenting works ranging from Filipino translations of the classics by Shakespeare, Checkov and Williams to landmark original Filipino works. Its current season, after Pingkian, includes Gregoria Lakambini, a Pinay-pop musical in November-December to celebrate the 150th birthday of Gregoria de Jesus, and Mabining Mandirigma, a steampunk musical in March 2026, a restaging of the tribute to Apolinario Mabini on the 130th anniversary of the 1896 Philippine Revolution.

TP has been unwavering in its commitment to artistic excellence in articulating the Filipino identity, expanding traditional theater forms to attract ever wider audiences, especially our youth.

Amid the chaos of corruption plaguing our society, the youth must be given positive role models they can look up to and emulate so good values – honesty, patriotism, integrity, service – can be reinforced. We’re not going to get any of that from our current political leaders, that’s for sure. It is our artists who will provide inspiration for our youth to become true nation builders.

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“Congratulations muli kapatid! Napakahusay na pagtatanghal! Bihira makaranas ng ganito ang aming mga mag-aaral at isang malaking biyaya na makakanood sila ng de kalidad na pagtatanghal tulad ng palabas ninyo! Sana e wag kyo magsawa bumuo ng mga ganitong palabas. May mga naririnig na akong mga bata, nagtatanong kung paano matuto sumayaw nang ganoon! Hahaha”

That’s a text message from a Junior High School teacher whose class watched Juan Tamad presented by the Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP) the other weekend at the Ateneo’s Arete Theater (spoiler: at the end Juan is no longer tamad, under the positive influence of Mariang Masipag).

The three-year-old ARDP are artistic nomads, without a permanent home. Made up of dancers displaced by the pandemic who determined to keep dancing, training and teaching – online, from their cramped living rooms, borrowed spaces and even driveways – this company has been dancing whenever and wherever they could all over the country, from Northern Luzon to the Visayas to Northern Mindanao (the company was formally launched in Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte in 2023) – in school gyms, town plazas, sometimes in actual theaters and, for the past two Christmases and again this Christmas, in Malacañang as part of the Pasko sa Palasyo open house, with Puso ng Pasko, an original, honest-to-goodness Filipino Christmas dance musical.

ARDP has focused on performing for students and grassroots communities, bringing dance to the people wherever they are. Support from friends, friends of friends and even the kindness of strangers has kept this small company on its feet. Raising funds for salaries and production expenses, bringing in teachers and ballet masters to further train the dancers, creating new pieces (young choreographers are encouraged and mentored, with the chance to actually stage their works), mounting performances, finding donors so groups of students can watch the shows are an ever-present challenge.

To think that just one of the cars in Sarah and Curlee’s garage or Brice’s Lambo (P38 million reportedly paid in cold hard cash) could support the company for a year or even two, while someone’s reported P80-million chandelier could keep the company dancing for five years, may sukli pa!

Maybe TP and ARDP should submit proposals for “ghost” productions – that way they might get some funding from government!