When a mishap as large as this event occurs, it’s the independent artists who suffer most.

Recently, several figures from the local art community have voiced concerns regarding a local art festival’s mismanagement of its regional events. Concerns began after the Patron of the Arts’ (PotA) previous event in Baguio City faced scrutiny due to its last-minute change of venue and shortened schedule. In what was supposed to be a two-day convention at the Baguio Convention and Cultural Center for indie artists to sell their wares and form connections with locals, plans were put to an abrupt halt after posts by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines revealed that the Regional Travel Fair would be taking place at the same venue on the same dates as PotA Regionals: Baguio City.

An alleged double booking took place, but posts online later revealed that PotA organizers supposedly never even booked the venue. PotA’s Baguio event ended up being held at a separate venue, but it only had a single day to take place, leaving some artists at a loss. A full refund was offered to artists who opted to back out of the event entirely. For those who pushed through, a 50 percent refund was also offered.

PotA is no small event. While many recognize it as a grassroots indie event, it’s a venue where hundreds of artists gather to sell their wares and make connections. These are the sort of events that help artists starting out connect with the local market and network with other artists. Workshops and mini events are also held throughout the day for attendees to get to appreciate local artists more.

With how things unfolded in Baguio, an official statement from the Facebook page announced the PotA team’s intention to reevaluate how they can better support the community. The statement also declared the cancellation of upcoming events, including one to be held at the end of this month at Clark. According to the post, other events formerly run by PotA have also been transitioned to different independent management companies. As news of the Clark event being cancelled broke out, artists started to voice concerns regarding getting refunded for the table slots they booked for the event. Some artists also started to plan an alternate event to help affected artists and hopefully prevent a loss. Referring to a document put out by the Makabayan Artists Circle, over 277 artists have been affected, and an estimated ₱1,552,840 supposedly remains unrefunded.

Even with all the uncertainty in the air, PotA later backtracked on its decision to cancel the Clark event. PotA Regionals: Clark is set to continue from May 30 to May 31 at the SMX Convention Center Clark. This has been met with mixed reactions from the public, with many comments calling the organizers out for their lack of clarity and demanding refunds. As of writing, the SMX Convention Center Clark’s website also has yet to show a confirmation of the event taking place at the venue. A now-deleted post also shared a list of participating artists, many of whom announced they will not be attending anymore. As of writing, refunds are being issued for those affected, but only if the vendor can provide details of their accommodation and transportation cancellations within PotA’s initial cancellation announcement. Announcement of the conditional refunds was reportedly sent out via email and Discord messages, leaving some artists unaware of it.

When events as big as this are mishandled, it would do well to remember that it’s the artists who suffer at the end of the day. Abrupt cancellations lead to wasted time, money, and effort. It affects those who paid for accommodations and transportation fares many months in advance to prepare for such events. As such, some affected creatives have called for a future boycott of PotA’s events until affected artists are refunded and the issues are properly addressed. “My heart goes out to my fellow creatives who were affected by the actions of organizers who failed to put artists first. For what it’s worth, I am glad that we have found solace in each other despite our circumstances,” shares EMultiply, one of the affected artists. “It is such a uniquely horrible shared experience that only we can truly understand. To the true patrons of the arts out there, please support your local artists in any way you can– purchase their items, commission them, advocate for them. The world needs artists, and artists need you.”