The Journey of a Musikero: Challenges, Adaptive Strategies and Insights of Local Musicians in Benguet during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

The COVID-19 Pandemic has made sweeping disruptions in the lives of the populace, including the music industry. This study investigated the effects of the Pandemic on the local Musikeros who reside in Baguio City and Benguet, Philippines. Specifically, it sought to understand the circumstances of the local Musikeros as to their financial situations, challenges they faced in different areas of their lives, coping strategies, and lessons they learned during the pandemic. Utilizing a qualitative approach, Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were conducted with local Musikeros whose livelihoods were severely affected by the Pandemic restrictions.

Through thematic analysis, four interrelated themes emerged: The first theme, Compliance with IATF Guidelines, described how the general public’s compliance with these restrictions caused two other themes to occur: Disruptions to Work as a Musikero and Personal Challenges. The first refers to the inability of the Musikeros to rely on their livelihood as performers, while the latter encapsulates the difficulties that Musikeros faced in the Socio-Economic, Physical-Mental, and Moral-Spiritual aspects of their lives. Despite these challenges, the Musikeros developed coping strategies through the theme Resilience in order to survive the Pandemic.

The study describes the accounts of local Musikeros – their difficulties and triumphs – as they lived through one of the most turbulent events of the century. Insights from this research contribute to understanding the broader implications of the pandemic on the local music industry. It also emphasizes the necessity of support from Local Government Units and other institutions in helping the Musikeros to achieve stability in their livelihood.