Local Artists in Benguet and Baguio Demand Labor and Tax Reforms

A group of young artists in Baguio City and Benguet outlined several challenges facing local creative workers. The Benguet Young Artists’ Workers Association stressed that despite the creative sector contributing seven percent of the national Gross Domestic Product, creators face economic insecurity and bureaucratic burdens. They demanded policy changes, including ethical guidelines for generative artificial intelligence and improved labor protections.

The demands target issues such as punitive local taxation and fair compensation, which affect the economic stability of the creative sector. The association also urged government agencies to refrain from replacing human creators with AI-generated content, impacting local labor markets.