BACOLOD CITY — The Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) is encouraging film and audio-visual workers across the Visayas to establish guilds and professional associations to strengthen sectoral representation and gain greater access to government support programs.
The call was made during the 2026 Visayas Guild Summit, attended by 37 delegates from across the region, and the subsequent Sine Sandigan legal consultation held at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
FAP Director-General Paolo Villaluna said the initiative aims to build a more professional and organized film and audio-visual industry while ensuring workers receive institutional support.
“The national government can support our workers. We want the Visayas to create workers’ guilds and associations to really protect and serve the sectoral concerns,” Villaluna said, expressing hope that more guilds will emerge following the regional summit.
He noted that around 80 percent of the country’s film and audio-visual workforce operates outside traditional employer-employee arrangements, making labor unions impractical for most workers.
“You can only represent your sector if you’re united, and you can be united through a guild or a workers’ association,” he said, adding that organized groups can more effectively raise workplace concerns and advocate for better policies.
Villaluna also highlighted the role of guilds in promoting professional development through skills enhancement and industry training.
“If you have a guild, you can create your own programs and conduct workshops to upskill your members,” he said.
Government assistance extends to professionals involved in films, television productions, commercials, branded content, and digital media.
The FAP’s legal assistance program, Sine Sandigan, offers grievance reporting, dispute resolution, and legal guidance on workplace and contract-related concerns. Following the summit, delegates participated in consultations focusing on labor rights and legal issues affecting the creative sector.
The FAP was reorganized in 2024 through Executive Order No. 70, issued by Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., placing the agency under the administrative supervision of the Department of Trade and Industry.
The reorganization aligns the academy with the government’s creative economy agenda and provides the country’s film community with a stronger institutional base for industry development and workforce support. (With report from PNA)
