Talisay city: The Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) is advocating for film workers in the Visayas region to establish guilds or associations to unify their voices in addressing sectoral concerns and accessing national government grants. On Thursday, the FAP organized a Sine Sandigan legal consultation following the 2026 Visayas Guild Summit, which was attended by 37 delegates from across the region at Nature's Village Resort in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
According to Philippines News Agency, Director-General Paolo Villaluna emphasized the importance of creating a professional environment for the film and audio-visual workforce in the country. He highlighted the potential of the national government to support workers in the Visayas by forming guilds and associations that can effectively protect and serve sectoral interests. Villaluna noted that a significant portion of film and audio-visual workers in the country are not covered by traditional employer-employee relationships, which limits the formation of unions.
Villaluna explained that representation can only be achieved through unity, which guilds or workers' associations can provide. He also mentioned that FAP offers support for the upskilling of film and audio-visual workers, allowing guilds to create their programs and workshops for sector development. Support extends to workers in movies, television shows, commercials, and even branded and online content.
The FAP's legal unit, Sine Sandigan, provides services such as grievance reporting, dispute resolution, and a legal helpdesk to address workplace and contract-related issues. After the Visayas Guild Summit, the unit facilitated discussions on industry-related legal concerns and labor rights for the delegates.
The FAP was reorganized last year and placed under the administrative supervision of the Department of Trade and Industry through Executive Order No. 70 issued by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in 2024. This move firmly positions the FAP within the creative economy agenda, providing the film community with a clear institutional home in the government.
