Filipino Artists can play an important role for a better Philippines

I live in the Philippines, if you check the facts and data about this country, it is a 3rd world and a developing one. There are so many areas in this country that need improvement such as the education, foreign relations, pandemics, scientific development, and so and so forth. Even though the facts are somehow degrading, this country is still home to resilient, hard working and talented individuals; teachers, engineers, architects and scientists are the ones heavily relied on to bring some improvement in this country. Opportunities come when scholarships, study grants or foreign support are awarded to Filipino students who are strongly related to the areas of development to study abroad. Of course with their new found knowledge and advanced techniques learned from powerful countries, they are a big factor in the development process.

However, not all Filiipino students get this opportunity easily, as they go through heavy screening that are conducted by Filipino Institutions. I really have high respects for the types of students given this rare chance of studying abroad who are mostly teachers, architects, engineers etc but artist like myself should also be given a chance to prove that we can contribute as well to this country’s development. Artists too are integral in the Philippines rise to success, because we possess something that most of the others don’t, creativity, which we use to convey emotions and enter the mind of an individual or institution by our visual presentations and ideas, if only given the funds for support, we present world class ideas and solutions. We make lasting impressions through our artworks, be it a simple print ad, campaign ad, movie or an animated film. Imagine our creativity combined with the advanced techniques that these teachers, engineers, scientists and all of the others learned from their study abroad; we can build a team that present solutions to these sectors in an entertaining and enticing manner that could convince the government or other potent foreign institutions for their support and finance.

This tandem can be the start of something big, to inspire other artist as well to be more nationalistic and think of what they can do for a better Philippines. And if artists are given more opportunities to study and learn new stuff abroad, they wouldn’t feel discriminated in applying for international scholarships screened by fellow Filipinos. If these local institutions and the government could only open their minds and hearts for the possibilities. Filipino artists are sons of the Philippines, an animator, comic book artist, cultural performers, sculptors, painters , etc., it is with their creative minds and artistic expression that can speed up this country’s development, they should be given the chance no matter what.