An organization of Filipino artists recently launched an application that helps Filipino artists and freelancers make money amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The non-profit Organisasyon ng Batikan at Responsableng Artista ng Bayan (OBRA Incorporated) launched the “Work at Home” platform where Filipinos can either search for freelance work or make jobs available to those who needed additional income.
The group’s Facebook page indicate that the freelance portal was opened on May 1, during the celebration of Labor Day.
In a separate post, OBRA Incorporated described the app as a solution to daily wage earners who were affected by the enhanced community quarantine, which suspended all on-site work and classes until May 15.
The ECQ directive, which once covered the entire Luzon, and the new general community quarantine are part of the national government’s stringent measures to help curb COVID-19 transmissions in the country.
“With various stages of lockdown – from enhanced to general community quarantine – still enforced, many Filipino workers have been greatly affected. Daily wage earners are on a “No work, no pay” basis. Work from home has now become the ‘new normal’ with mostly only essential businesses allowed to open,” the group’s post read.
“What if you can provide your services, talents, or skills while still quarantined at home or if you choose to work at home under the ‘new normal’? Anyone interested to hire you can then avail of the service and pay you for it – all done remotely. Wouldn’t that be great?” it added.
“Work at Home” is an online talent marketplace for people in the Philippines that aims to turn isolation into…
Posted by OBRA Incorporated on Friday, May 1, 2020
Described as online talent marketplace for people in the Philippines, Work at Home also said that it has projects not only for Filipino artists but also for tech professionals, essential workers, and students as well.
The rate for each gig or job and the details of the person who posted it are also provided on the options.
Interested Filipino talents may register here: https://
OBRA Incorporated has been providing various online jobs dedicated to the cultural development of Filipinos overseas since it was established in 2007.
“The organization seeks to promote the deeper meaning and significance of arts and culture to Filipinos and advocate for the responsibility of being an artist of the nation,” its statement read on Facebook.
This initiative came after the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) criticized the National Commission for Culture and the Arts last April for its alleged lack of support to the members of the arts and culture sector, particularly those working on a freelance basis.
“Every day of the pandemic that passes, the question of our individual and collective survival becomes more pressing—with no strong leadership forthcoming. Particularly when one considers that, across scientific, medical, and socio-economic reckoning, this situation is expected to last until the end of 2020, with its more profound impacts yet to be felt,” part of CAP’s statement read.
The NCCA previously rolled out two programs—the Assistance Program for Cultural Worker and Artists under State of Calamity and NCCA-DOLE TUPAD Assistance Program.
CAP, however, lamented that the assistance program is not sustainable in the long run.
The latter, meanwhile, falls under the labor department’s social amelioration program.
