A Historical Look at OBRA's Project Legacy
For 15 years, OBRA Inc has created projects that connect, celebrate, and uplift Filipino communities through artistic expression. This is the story of how a group of Filipino artists built platforms, told stories, and fostered community, one ambitious project at a time.Who We Are: Artists Building Community
Our Foundation: Creativity as Community Service
In 2007, OBRA Inc (Organisasyon ng Batikan at Respetadong Artista ng Bayan, Incorporated) was founded on a powerful vision: Filipino artists could serve their communities by creating meaningful projects that addressed real needs.
We are builders and storytellers. We create platforms where voices can be heard, develop spaces where communities can gather, and produce films that preserve important stories.
Our founding mission has guided every project for over 15 years:
"To develop, uplift and promote Filipino Skills and Talents through Art as the Medium"
Every platform. Every film. Every website. Each one created to serve a specific community need, then carefully documented and preserved as we moved forward to the next project.
How We Work: Create. Complete. Document. Move Forward.
We build with purpose and intention.
Our model has remained consistent:
- Identify a community need or untold story
- Create a tailored artistic project, an "obra" (masterpiece)
- Execute with focused dedication
- Document the impact and preserve the legacy
- Move forward to the next project
This project-based approach has allowed us to remain agile and responsive. Rather than maintaining permanent institutions, we create focused interventions, see them through to completion, and channel our energy toward the next community need.
From online platforms that built community to award-winning documentaries that preserved untold stories, from digital hubs that connected diaspora populations to job marketplaces that supported freelancers, our projects are finite, but their impact continues.
Our Journey: 15 Years of Creative Projects
2007: Building Digital Community | theOBRAwebsite
It began with a vision: creative artists transforming neglected walls into vibrant murals at small-town fiestas. Beauty emerging from forgotten spaces.
In December 2007, we officially incorporated as OBRA, and launched our first project: "theOBRAwebsite" a digital forum where geographically scattered Filipino artists could connect and collaborate.
This platform became a gathering place where isolated voices could find community.
2008-2009: Creating Space for Dance | Buhawian & Dance Pinoy
We organized "Buhawian: The Metro Manila Dance Idols" in 2008 in Cultural Center of the Philipppines. Filipino amateaur dancers accorss 18 cities of Metro Manila possessed extraordinary talent but lacked dedicated a stage. After that was organized, we built them a home. An online platform where they can talk about their craft.
We built "DancePinoy.com" in 2009 and became more than a website, it became a movement. An online community where dancers showcased their work, discovered opportunities, and elevated Philippine hip-hop culture from underground to mainstream visibility.
For the first time, their passion had a permanent place.
2019-2012: From Digital to Physical | Step Off
Digital community evolved into real-world gatherings. We organized "Step-Off: The Stomp Challenge" in 2009 with a follow up "Step Off 2012: The Kpop Challenge" in 2011 and "Hiphop International Interschool" brought Filipino dance communities together in person, transforming online connections into live cultural events.
The virtual became tangible. The scattered became united.
2011: Amplifying Filipina Voices | Filipina Bakit Ikaw
The theater production "Filipina, Bakit Ikaw?" is a advocacy project tackled Filipina identity, representation, and stories that mainstream media overlooked. When our footage aired on NBN 4's "The Morning Show," we successfully brought marginalized narratives of Filipino women into mainstream consciousness.
2014: Telling LGBTQ+ Stories | Seoul Mates
Our first full-length feature film "Seoul Mates (2014)" told a story rarely seen on screen: Alice, a Filipino transwoman, and Joon, a Korean musician, meeting on a Seoul bridge, both searching for connection and understanding.
This "gender-bending tale" provided visibility and representation for LGBTQ+ Filipinos whose stories deserved to be told.
2015: Documenting Resilience | Paraiso
One month after Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) devastated communities, we traveled to affected areas to document a different narrative than the destruction shown in news coverage.
"Paraiso (2015)" followed child survivors as they collected scrap metal to support their families, returned to makeshift schools, and rebuilt their daily lives. We documented their resilience, preserved their stories, and honored their strength.
2017: Connecting Diaspora Communities | Pinoy Seoul
Thousands of Filipinos living in South Korea were navigating life abroad while seeking connection to their culture and each other.
"PinoySeoul.com" became their community hub, providing news, resources, cultural connection, and a reminder that they were part of a larger Filipino community.
2018: Building American Community | Pinoy California
We expanded our diaspora platform model to the United States, launching "PinoyCalifornia.com" with an ambitious goal: "shape Filipino communities in the United States as one.
2019: Government Recognition | Best Website Award
The Philippine Commission on Filipinos Overseas honored "Pinoy Seoul" in 2019 with the Interactive Media Award – Best Website on Migration, recognizing it as a vital resource providing "relevant news, updates and useful information" and "assistance and support to all Filipinos living, working, studying, and visiting South Korea."
2020: Supporting Freelance Workers | Work at Home Initiative
When COVID-19 lockdowns began in March 2020, "no work, no pay" policies devastated daily wage earners and freelancers.
On Starting on Labor Day, May 1, 2020 we launched multiple online platforms to help Filipinos in the Philippines coppe u with the New Normal:
- Work at Home: A talent marketplace helping pinoy artists & freelancers to earn during COVID-19.
- PinoyArtist.com: Connected freelance creatives with paid "rakets" (gigs), featuring an escrow payment system ensuring secure, fair compensation.
- CloudWorkers.ph: Provided businesses with virtual assistant services while creating remote work opportunities for Filipinos adapting to remote work.
These platforms supported thousands of Filipino artists during an unprecedented economic transition.
2022: Advocacy Recognition | Media & Migration Advocacy Awards
The Impact: 15 Years of Community Building
💙 Creating Digital Community
Before our platforms, Filipino artists and dancers lacked dedicated online spaces.
Our projects: theOBRAwebsite (2007) and Dance Pinoy (2009) created the first dedicated digital communities transforming geographic isolation into vibrant, connected networks where artists and dancers could share their work and find their peers.
🎬 Amplifying Marginalized Stories
Stories about Filipina identity and LGBTQ+ diaspora experiences rarely received mainstream attention.
Our projects: Filipina Bakit Ikaw (2011) and Seoul Mates (2014) brought these narratives to national television and international film festivals, creating visibility and representation.
🌪️ Documenting Resilience
Beyond disaster coverage, stories of community resilience needed to be preserved.
Our project: Paraiso (2015) documented child survivors of Typhoon Haiyan their courage, determination, and daily acts of rebuilding. Award-winning cinema that honored resilience and preserved these important stories.
🌏 Connecting Diaspora Communities
Filipino communities abroad needed gathering spaces and resources.
Our projects: Pinoy Seoul (2017) and Pinoy California (2018) became virtual community centers providing information, resources, cultural connection, and community cohesion across geographic distance.
💼 Supporting Freelance Creatives
Independent workers and freelancers needed reliable platforms to find work and receive fair payment.
Our project: Work at Home / Pinoy Artist / CloudWorkers.ph (2020) platforms connected thousands of Filipino freelancers with paid opportunities, featuring secure payment systems that protected workers' rights and compensation.
Recognition: A Legacy Acknowledged
Our work has been recognized both nationally and internationally:
🏆 2019: Best Website on Migration
Philippine Commission on Filipinos Overseas honored PinoySeoul.com with the Interactive Media Award for serving as a vital portal for Filipinos in South Korea.
🏆 2022: Media & Migration Advocacy Awards
The Commission on Filipinos Overseas honored founder Nash Ang things he did for uplifting Filipino spirit in the international stage such as integrating native Filipino languages into Korean dramas (Arthdal Chronicles) and his migration advocacy work.
🏆 Film Recognition:
- Paraiso (2015): Grand Prix Winner, 21st Cine Eco International Festival, Portugal and more.
- Nash Ang: Best Director, 13th Pyongyang International Film Festival, Grand Prize, 1st Mirvac WA Short Film Festival and so many more awards.
The Legacy: 15 Years of Creative Service
For 15 years, we've built a body of work that demonstrates art's power to build community, preserve stories, and create meaningful connections.
Every project in our history, every website, every film, every platform was created because we saw an opportunity to serve through creative work. Each project addressed a specific need, was completed with intention, and has been carefully documented as part of our legacy.
We've remained agile, focused, and committed to creating work that serves community needs.
This is the OBRA Inc. legacy: Artists can serve their communities. Creative projects can build lasting connections. Stories deserve to be told and preserved.
The work continues. Communities evolve. But our mission remains unchanged:
To develop, uplift, and promote Filipino skills and talents through art as the medium, through deliberate, meaningful projects that serve real community needs.
Because when the question is "What can art build for community?"
We answer: "Watch our work. See what we've created together."
