Mitch Valdes and the fight for artists’ rights

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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );What do you call someone who hasn’t seen you for 50 years and greets you like it was only yesterday? A friend.That’s Mitch.



A generous, no-nonsense, what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person. She doesn’t suffer fools and I feel fortunate to be counted as her friend.There’s no business like show, and in the Philippines, there is no tougher business.

And for a woman, it brings its own set of challenges. It’s not enough to have talent, but you have to pour your figure into an evening gown. “How I wished that I could perform like those stand-up comics in the US who would come out in a black t-shirt and jeans,” she says.

This was not easily accepted in the early days of Mitch’s career, when she was better known as Maya. But the show must go on, and sequins and hairspray it had to be.Mitch has a career that spans several decades, and through her professional history she has rolled with the punches, adapting to an ever-changing audience.

A fiercely independent thinker, Mitch always chose to cut through the B.S. Leading the movement to fight for artists’ Intellectual Property (IP) rights, she went toe to toe against the establishment.

She’s paid the price to the extent of getting cancelled (long before it became a thing).When the chips are down, she prays and lo and behold! She’s still around after more than 50 years. CLASSIC.

Mitch Valdes (bottom left) in the Lino Brocka movie ‘Lunes, Martes, Miyerkules, Huwebes, Biyernes, Sabado, Linggo,’ where she won the Gawad Urian Best Supporting Actress. Also in the photo are Lolita Rodriguez, Lauice Guillen, June Kiethley, Lorli Villanueva, and Bembol Roco. All photos courtesy of Mitch ValdesMitch was already a performer in her teens, starting with the cooperation between De La Salle University and St.

Scholastica’s College, forming the first drama guild headed by Direk Peque Gallaga.I had met Mitch when we were both performing in Julie Borromeo’s production of the Broadway musical Sweet Charity. Dare I say it was the ‘70s? Okay millennials, look it up.

Already then, Mitch was a natural with that strong singing voice and even stronger presence on stage.window.rapplerAds.

displayAd( "middle-2" );window.rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-2" );Mitch would host Peque’s drama workshops in her home and I was impressed by the warm, cozy atmosphere — I don’t know what I was expecting — but maybe more edgy décor to match her persona.

But no, it was sweet and homey. She had wall-to-wall bookshelves with an eclectic collection of books and she had read them all.“If I see a wrong, I want to make it right,” she says.

And artists have certainly suffered in an industry that favors the box-office headliners and neglects the “working actor.” Long hours, no health insurance or paid vacations. It’s a feast or famine career, and artists felt the brunt of the COVID lockdown.

TV HIT. Mitch Valdes hamming it up with Edu Manzano (left) and Rowell Santiago in ‘Ang Probinsyano.’Then comes the Performer’s Rights Society of the Philippines (PRSPH), a collective management organization which started out after the IP Code was enacted.

With the help of the late Senator Raul Roco, the item for residual revenue for artists was inserted in the Bill he was sponsoring.In its current form, the PRSPH has a strong Board of Directors with Leo Martinez as chairman, Mitch (president), Celeste Legaspi (vice president and treasurer), Mel Villena (corporate secretary), Joel Torre (board member), and Debbie Gaite (managing director). And in the world of live streaming and social media, our artists are missing out on revenue that rightfully belongs to them.

OPM LEGENDS. Mitch Valdes with (from left) Martin Nievera, Celeste Legaspi, and the late great Pilita Corrales.In the ‘90s, Mitch noticed that her movies were being replayed on TV and she wondered if local artists might also enjoy some income from their work being replayed.

Paying royalties to actors for their participation in movies or TV shows is properly legislated and enforced in other countries, especially in Hollywood, where they have strong unions. Rez Cortez, in his testimony to support the IP Bill, said he received royalty checks from the American TV show The Great Raid from its initial airing to replays for a couple of years down the road. So, it can be done.

It’s been a long hard climb and maneuvering their way through the legalese and bureaucracy, but the PRSPH is gaining traction, locally and with international partners showing their support. It’s still a way to go but with Mitch driving this vision, there is light at the end of the tunnel.PRSPH calls out to all artists, “Know your rights!” – Rappler.

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