Let me clarify first that I strongly support Cebuano talent and artistry. I do not favor any media company unless they give our talents the respect and rewards they deserve. Any company that treats local talents badly deserve to be blasted.
That my friends is GMA Network, the same abusive network that gave you StarStruck, Darna, Captain Barbel, 24 Oras, Buena Mano, and others.
Just read these truthful articles about GMA Network's abuse towards Cebu's finest and world class talents.
Let this be known
TALENT SCOPE By Lou Dayoc (The Freeman) Updated August 19, 2005 12:00 AM
Last month, I wrote about the misfortune of a lady friend of mine who had been hoaxed by an event's director from Manila, receiving only half of the talent fee promised to her for a hosting job. Since the release of that article, many of my associates from the industry aired out to me their ill-fated experiences with organizers, both local and Manila-based, and talent agents who seem to place little or no value at all on professional ethics.
Victims of such foul conduct brought about by greed, neglect, discrimination and power play often find themselves succumbing to such inexcusable and unjustifiable practices over the years. How and why did these talents allow such things to happen to them? There are many possible reasons such as naivety, the yearning for fame, the lack of knowledge on more professional practices of career-planning and long-term management, and the elusiveness of trustworthy talent managers, scouts and booking agents in Cebu.
These heartless pros in the entertainment industry take advantage of this and use it against the talents to exploit them out of their services. It is unfortunate that this has been quite common in a city known for its rich source of talented individuals. Let me share to you some of these stories.
"For the Sake of Exposure"
This is such an overused excuse given to amateur talents for miniscule talent fees. Unbelievable this may seem, but
certain malls in Cebu pay dancers a three-digit compensation, which they have to divide among their members. In other words, a take-home pay that would not even reach home at all! Whether they are amateurs or professionals, these hardworking talented individuals deserve much more than what they bargain for. Yes, the pay "may be" sufficient for transportation expenses but it takes more than just getting to the venue to entertain the audience. What about the costumes? The endless nights of rehearsals and expenses these dance groups have to invest in their performances? Surely, the organizers did not pay these dance groups just to get to the venue? They must offer them what's due to them! This means a reasonable amount for their efforts in drawing a crowd, entertaining their valued customers, and for helping promote their establishment.
The "Under Training" Defense
I was caught aback when a lady friend of mine, who had been hosting a local regular TV program, asked me how much I was getting from GMA for "Singgit Cebu." Instead of answering her, I shot the question back to my friend and surprisingly, she admitted to me that
the producer of the show had not discussed this matter with her despite the fact that she had already taped several episodes with them. I suggested that she approach the producer and state all the conditions and her compensation in a contract.
Several months after, I caught up with her again only to find out that the producer decided to cut her off the show without giving her any remuneration for several weeks of hosting. The reason? "We were just training you," she was told. Can you actually believe that?! Training for what? Anyway, my friend simply took it from there and just pocketed the memories and a good learning experience from her short stint in showbiz.
Invisible Booking Agent
Now this is based on my own personal experience. A representative of a pharmaceutical company phoned me to offer a hosting assignment for a product-launching event last year. My mouth dropped when she mentioned an exorbitant talent fee, which I supposedly accepted for a previous event of the same company. Naturally, in my good conscience, I had to ask her where she got the amount. She then told me that a voucher reflected it signed by a colleague of hers whom I remember was the guy who contacted me for that event. From that time on, contracts are now between me and companies or advertising agencies (with corporate heads as signatories). As for new and independent booking agents and myself, arrangements are now treated separate.
Discrimination and Deceit
How many times have we heard this statement - "
Basta taga-Cebu, tikasan harun dili makada-og!?" This refers to Cebuanos who have gone to Manila to represent our region in pageants or other national competitions. Before Sheryn Regis and Raki Vega disproved this, people close to me and their experiences in Manila have led me to believe that this is not merely a rumor but an infuriating reality. My sister-in-law, who had joined a national children's pageant several years back and was sent to represent us in Manila, was advised to change her talent and costume by the organizers only a few days before the grand finals. Due to this, she was unable to give her best and lost the pageant to someone from Luzon. What enraged my mother-in-law was when one of organizers approached her after the show and had the nerve to tell her that they shouldn't have agreed to the change and that her previous act was far better than the one she presented. Hasos baya!
A similar thing happened to another friend of mine who also left for Manila a few years back to compete in a singing competition on national television. The organizers practically forced her to change the song, which she mastered and sang to win the regional competition. She didn't agree to this after being advised by our fellow Cebuanos who accompanied her during her stay there. At that time, her strongest contender was from Metro Manila.
During rehearsals, she observed that the contestant could hardly reach the pitch of her contest piece. On the competition night itself, everyone was surprised to have observed that the orchestra adjusted to a lower pitch in favor of this particular contestant. Hmmm⦠My friend ended up on the second place next to her Manila contender.
Let this be known: 2nd of 3 Parts
TALENT SCOPE By Lou Dayoc (The Freeman) Updated August 26, 2005 12:00 AM
Let me share with you a letter I received via email immediately after last week's issue:
Ate Lou, I've read your article today which talked about the discrimination of local talents. Four years ago, a director invited me and my schoolmates at the University of Southern Philippines to join a local soap opera. The shooting was scheduled a week before our midterm exams. The director gave us the assurance that he would settle the excuse letters for us but what really happened was we were asked to make our own. I found that so unprofessional! He was supposed to make the letter in behalf of the network or the network itself should have made it. But then we just kept quiet.
Anyway, we had fun and met the crew during the location shoot. The producer down to the lights men were nice to us. But after we finished everything from taping down to promotions, I only received a talent fee of P300++! Since I have friends in the industry, I was already aware of how much the talent fee was supposed to be. When I signed the voucher, I saw that my talent fee was supposedly P500! What a big difference! I wonder where the P200 went?
I hope that this will stop. Just because we're bisdak doesn't mean that we should not have the privilege of gaining what's right for us. Hope Ate Lou you could share this to the readers of your column. And hope to hear from you soon.
I replied to the sender right away and gathered all the information I needed to investigate on the issues raised in this letter. The letter sender, however, requested me not to disclose the identity of the director and the network concerned, saying that he only wishes for other talents to learn from this experience. Though, clearing the matter may seem futile at this point, I still went out of my way to try to shed some light on such a long overdue, unresolved issue for the sake of both parties. In as much as my dear letter sender deserves an explanation for his misfortune, the director also has the right to be heard and given a chance to air his side of the story.
The Excuse Letter
The school required the students to submit letters to be excused from taking their upcoming midterm exams to formalize and properly document the request since the soap opera is not considered an official school activity. The approval of the request came swiftly after the director (who is an alumnus of USP) approached the vice president of the Alumni Association to ask for the school's permission. This, according to him, was how he helped settle the matter.
Talent Fee
According to the director,
the network (GMA7) informed him of the budget for talent fees which was at P8,000 when this project was offered to him. This was to be divided among the eight main cast members, the writer and the director himself for two days of shooting. (Unbelievable!) He was given the freehand to choose his cast, but he was not given the authority to release the fees to the talents involved. The network released this after the series was shown on air. He could not recall whether he had informed all the talents of their fees, a task the network expected him to carry out in their behalf.
My reaction to this? The budget is absurd! What was GMA7 thinking of? P8,000?! I think it is downright insulting for this giant network to offer such an amount for a director of his caliber plus, expect him share it with nine other people! I have worked with him in the past and I have such high regard for him. In fact, he gave me one of my most treasured experiences in theater. As far as my most recent experience with him is concerned, he was not amiss in informing me of my compensation for that particular project. I am also aware of his passion for the arts. To him, the pay is just icing on the cake. But what about the others? Surely, not all have the same priorities. It is not right to presume that everyone is willing to perform just for the love of it. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the network or its representative (usually the executive producer's job) to clearly discuss remuneration and work expectations with the artists, particularly the amateurs, who usually get lured into the exciting opportunity of being seen on television that they do not ask about their compensation. It's either they are too shy or they do not have a clear view of how much hard work and long hours are expected of them to deliver. Some organizers take advantage of this, resulting to more and more victims of such foul practice in the industry.
Let this be known, last part
TALENT SCOPE By Lou Dayoc (The Freeman) Updated September 02, 2005 12:00 AM
Last week, I featured a letter sender's fleeting yet unpleasant experience in showbiz. A USP stu-dent shared how a Cebuano director failed to inform him of his talent fee after offering him a role in a local soap opera.
This was produced by GMA7 that had made him sign a voucher of P200, more than what he actually received as compensation.
Why I consider this as an obvious case of exploitation and an insult to Cebuano artists is based on certain facts I manage to gather from both the letter sender and the director himself.
Exploitation
The network had evaded its responsibility in informing the actors of their remuneration by oddly passing this crucial task to the director who was neither an employee of the network nor a regular talent. An explanation would have to be either the network was too trusting or they themselves were ashamed to ask any artist to accept such absurd amounts as talent fees. They simply passed the buck to the director (who vowed not to accept any project from them subsequent to this mortifying experience) who was preposterously expected to scout for his own actors, convince them to work for such diminutive rates and direct the soap opera!
Why did the director allow this?
GMA knew how some artists would simply swallow such repulsive conditions just to be given an opportunity to express their love for the arts and the desire to be recognized. It is a sad fact that with the many artists that Cebu cradles, we do not have a sufficient number of producers who create such avenues for us. The network is aware of this and used this to their advantage! Rates of Cebuano artists are a far cry from what is accustomed in Manila's showbiz industry. Yes, yes¦they use national network coverage and high cost of living to justify this, but rates that reflect below 10% (an unreasonable fraction) as compared to Manila's numbers are for me downright insulting and discriminating to us Cebuanos! It simply contradicts to our reputation as an artistic people well-renowned to be the toughest critics with the highest artistic standards in the country. How many times have we heard that Cebu has become a gauging point for thriving artists, particularly musicians, who aim to eventually excel in the national entertainment scene? The now very successful band from Davao, Freestyle, gained a name in Cebu first before making it big in Manila. The career growth of homegrown talents Southborder, Stage Crew, Junior Kilat and most recently, Cueshe, among many others also proves this theory. But instead of asserting ourselves and living up to our reputation, what we do at our very own turf is exactly the opposite, which only encourages not only discrimination but also deceit among fellow Cebuano artists and producers.
The first step must come from us.
To my fellow Cebuano artists, assert yourselves! Don't allow such treatment. How I wish we could all work as one and elevate the standards of the local entertainment industry. Some may view this as idealistic with the presence of amateurs and other artists who would recklessly dive down to demeaning pays (Pamugasay lage!) or worse, those who plunge into the industry with eyes half-closed (working without pay) unaware of how this affects the rest of us. To them I plead. We, Cebuanos, deserve to be respected, duly recognized and appropriately compensated for our beautiful and special qualities as artists and as a people.
Not just Lip Service
With regards to GMA network raised in this issue, be consistent. You have gained patronage from a considerable number of Cebuanos for recognizing and embracing many of our marvelous performers and giving them wonderful showbiz opportunities in the national entertainment scene. Prove to us that you, indeed, deserve to be number one!
To the networks and producers from Manila, give us due respect, proper recognition and sincerity (especially when you refer to us with terms of relativity) as consistently as we welcome you to our grounds with genuine Cebuano hospitability.
A parent once asked me for some showbiz advice for her talented teenage daughter. I told her, just what I've said to the others, "Yes, being in the entertainment industry is truly exciting and has its wonderful gifts, however, one must jump into it with eyes wide-open. Be more cautious because there is some truth to this statement, Showbiz 'could be' the second most demoralizing industry next to politics." where some of our country's leaders find themselves succumbing to corruption and deceit due to the yearning for power, prestige and wealth. In show business, the promise of fame, pride, recognition and money threatens to consume anyone who enters it.
I would like to thank my letter sender for trusting me with his story. I sincerely hope that many of us have gained enlightenment and inspiration through this sharing. I encourage other artists to come out in the open and use my column to be heard. Let's continue to learn from each other as we work together through the struggles of elevating the standards of our local entertainment industry.
Reactions and Loucid Intentions
TALENT SCOPE By Lou Dayoc (The Freeman) Updated September 09, 2005 12:00 AM
For weeks, fellow Cebuanos continue to share more unpleasant experiences in the industry as well as positive and negative reactions toward my most recent three-part article, "Let This Be Known," via e-mail.
As I was scanning through all of the letters, this one especially caught my attention. And it's not just because it involved three very beautiful and popular Cebuano women, but mostly because it questioned the credibility of the most prestigious beauty pageant organization in the country today.
Lou,
I read with interest your TalentScope column entitled "Let This Be Known" which was about discrimination and deceit, and I couldn't help but agree on the unfortunate experiences of our fellow Visayans or Cebuanos who were robbed of the opportunities for fame and glory by their Manila counterparts in the contests that they were in.
One such experience that comes to mind was when the then Ms. Cebu City 1998 and Ms. Cebu Toursim 1st runner up Mary Jane Pahang joined the Binibining Pilipinas 2000 pageant. She was one of the 30 hopefuls selected by a panel of judges out of more than a hundred applicants that year. She emerged as a press favorite and we saw her face splashed in the papers as the most likely to win beside the photo of the eventual winner whose name I no longer remember because she appeared to have vanished after winning the title.
Ms. Pahang even recounted that during the pageant finals, the eventual winner was visited by no less than the chair person of the pageant and given advices on what to do onstage like forgoing hair pins holding her hair because the eventual winner looked better with her hair down. To make matters worse, after the pageant, this same person even approached Ms. Pahang and told her that if she came back the following year, she would be assured of a title!
Another incident involved the Ms. Cebu Tourism 1999 winner Ms. Menchu Antigua when she joined in 2002. Ms. Antigua related that since the candidates were not allowed to bring their own make-up artists, they had to rely on the services of the official make-up artist assigned to them. To her horror, the official make-up artist didn't do justice to her face. Ms. Antigua is naturally gifted with a gorgeous bone structure being a Spanish mestiza and is actually very articulate. But she was never noticed in that pageant. Both Ms. Pahang and Ms. Antigua are very articulate women which was quite apparent during the pageant interviews and activities so the organizers who already had their favorites had to make sure they wouldn't reach a point in the pageant for them to display such skill, otherwise it would become obvious that they were rigging the contest.
It also happened to another Cebuana who was crowned Ms. Cebu Tourism years ago, Yedda Marie Kittelsveldt. Yeddah Marie was the prettiest and most articulate of the top three winners and she would have made an ideal candidate for the Ms. Universe pageant instead of the winner that year. She was given the Bb. International title, which does not necessarily showcase her intelligence and verbal proficiency in that pageant.
And everyone wonders till today why we no longer have Filipino Women winning international or world titles when in fact the problem lies in the corruption and dirty tactics of the organizers of that national competition. What kind of message are we sending across to our hopefuls from the province and what kind of values are we handing down to the next generation? I'm sure that when they read this, they will deny it to high heavens but look at their results after Gloria Diaz and Margie Moran? The results speak for themselves.
What good would blowing our horns be for those in the runner-up positions? Nobody remembers the second best. Our representatives are quite simply not the best for us or for the world. When India decided to make changes in the way they chose their representatives, they suddenly emerged as a strong contender every year for the crown aside from the usual favorites from USA and Venezuela.
Filipino Women can very well stand tall beside such beauties. We just have to choose the most suitable and most deserving. Most often than not, the most deserving are always bypassed by the personal whims and caprices of the power movers of the pageant to the detriment of the Filipino psyche.
Hope this can be an eye-opener for the organizers of the pageant. Thank you Lou and more power!
Disappointed Cebuano
Personally, I have also come to hear of such talks from some my friends in the fashion industry years back, however, I would still like to give the pageant organizers the benefit of the doubt and urge them to contact me for their reaction or statements pertaining to the allegations stated above. I would also like to get the views and sentiments of the three women mentioned in this letter for first-hand information about their experiences.
This may, however, seem to many that we are sour-graping over our losses in these pageants, one cannot blame my letter sender for his thoughts and views, for hearing such disturbing information will certainly cause anyone to question the credibility of the organizers.
I would like to address the concerns brought up by some of my readers regarding the expose I had been writing about over the past few weeks. Some of them were concerned that I may be discouraging the Manila producers from investing in the city for much-needed projects and events for our Cebuano artists. This holds true for producers whose intentions are as impure and offensive as those mentioned in the letters I received from fellow Cebuano artists. Those producers - we would rather not have in our city. It is important that they know we are aware of such possibilities and for many of us in the industry, to be more cautious in our dealings with them.
I would also like to clarify that I am not generalizing nor am I putting down the producers from Manila. Throughout the 14 years I have been in the industry and after meeting over countless of producers from Manila for projects held in Cebu as well as in Manila, none of them have given me any ill-fated experience similar to those that have been mentioned in my previous article. In fact, I continue to hold a very pleasant, professional relationship with these Manila-based producers as well as event organizers in Cebu to this very day. However, some of my fellow Cebuano artists are not as fortunate as I am and they have every right to be heard. I am quite certain that these artists have shared their experiences with many others and if indeed there is no truth to what they are saying, it is also not fair to these producers. They too have every right to clear the issues raised against them and air their side of the story through my column.
GMA Network hates Cebuanos
Originally Posted by quasimodo
GMA network hates cebuanos or is it the other way around?
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