Heart of Music addresses the plight and rights of indie musicians
First dental mission set for Jan. 31 at Tiendesitas in Pasig
Skarlet Brown (aka Myra Ruaro) is more popularly known as the lead vocalist of band Brownbeat All-Stars and the original singer of Put3ska.
What most people don’t know is that she was a former med rep, who spent a lot of her time in hospitals.
Her familiarity with health professionals and their industry became a factor in her current concern—that of helping out her fellow musicians gain access to health benefits that most of them have never had.
Never-ending fundraisers
The more immediate factor was the never-ending fundraisers she had to organize for ailing colleagues, especially during the time she owned a bar in Quezon City.
Some appeals would reach her when a musician’s illness had reached a critical stage.
“Ganito na lang ba palagi? Concert dito, concert doon kapag Stage IV (cancer) na?” she said in an interview with Yahoo in 2013.
First dental mission
This is when she decided to start Heart of Music (HOM), which she launched only two years ago.
Since then, HOM has worked to enroll musicians with PhilHealth and has conducted five medical missions.
On Jan. 31, Saturday, HOM is holding its first dental mission in Tiendesitas in Pasig City.
Musicians in medical need
Skarlet shared the stories of the patients that HOM has taken under its wing.
Just last Christmas, Gener, a 19-year old musician from Bicol was referred to her in hopes that she could help with his cancer treatment.
With little money and help from some friends, she was able to fly him in to Manila. She used some of her medical connections to find the best treatment for him but sadly he passed away.
50 patients vying for 1 hospital bed
Skarlet, teary eyed from telling this tale, was unfazed by the disappointment of wishing she could have done better.
She’d find herself in charity wards, fighting the hospital for a patient's chance to stay even if, sadly, there’s a waiting list of more than 50 vying for a single bed. And unless you’re dying, you are kicked out of that bed.
“Paglabas mo nagka-camp out yung mga tao d’on, three days na yung iba. Yung mga nakikita mong pila sa ‘Wowowee’ sa TV, gano’n yung mga pila!”
Dire conditions
She’d end up taking in these homeless musicians, some of whom would stay in her house for weeks at a time, as she looks up contacts willing to sponsor their food and lodging.
Skarlet laments the dire conditions of musicians who have lived and worked abroad only to come home without health benefits or a shoulder to lean on.
Because of this, she strongly opposes the passing of House Bill 4218 or the OPM Development Act.
The thorny house bill
The bill calls for the “promotion, protection and development of the Philippine music industry.”
While the bill sounds noble, Skarlet cautions that it means more than a provision requiring foreign artists to pay equity every time they perform here to compensate displaced local performers.
She fears many independent musicians might not be represented in the omnibus musicians’ and composers’ guilds that will sit in the proposed new National Committee on Music. She also questions the tax credits broadcasters are going to get for simply abiding by an old law mandating them to play 4 OPM songs per hour.
Know your rights
To bring these issues to light, an open forum on HB4218 will happen on the same day of the dental mission.
She is encouraging musicians to attend the forum, speak out, understand and determine the salient aspects of the bill and how it impacts every musician.
A fundraising gig will also take place.
Let’s Begin with a Smile, the 1st HOM Dental Mission and fundraising gig for musicians and their families, will take place from 2 to 6 pm on Saturday, Jan. 31 at Tiendesitas in Pasig City. It will offer free tooth extraction, dental filling, dentures and denture repair. If you are a musician and would like to avail of the services, visit HOM’s event page on Facebook for details.
The 1st Independent Musicians’ Open Forum on Rights & Welfare to discuss HB4218 happens at 5 pm on the same date and place.
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