Honorable Senator Imee Marcos; Honorable Senator and Senate Pro Tempore Loren Legarda; Honorable Senator and Minority Floor Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III; Pangasinan 4th District Representative Christopher de Venecia; Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Luz Quimbo; Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Francisco “Kiko” Benitez; Batangas 4th District Representative Lianda Bolilia; colleagues in government; distinguished guests—a pleasant evening. Thank you all for joining us in the two days of this Second Philippine Creative Industries Summit.
This Fellowship Dinner aims to bring us together as we collectively champion the development of the Philippine Creative Industries. We hope that this dinner will be an avenue for many of us to further foster our partnerships and enhance our collaborations. I hope that along with the main proper of the Summit, this dinner can provide us more opportunity to align our ideas, directions, and work toward advancing the Philippine creative economy.
We at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) stand ready to support the creative sector and its industries as mandated by the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA). We will work with the creative sector, our partners in government, and our allies in the private sector to realize support for the creative sector. This includes priority and development planning, policy formulation, research and development, digitalization, infrastructure support, and financing.
In the past two days, we have had the opportunity to share perspectives and experiences, and discuss the next steps to build a
unified front to develop our creative industries. This way, we prepare them to become globally competitive. We have better appreciated the urgency and importance of institutionalizing the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA). The provisions of this law are bound to change the landscape of our local creative industry. PCIDA is providing a much-needed sense of synergy among different stakeholders to further create a more enabling environment for Filipino creatives and artists. The law also reinforces our intellectual property ecosystem, provides mechanisms for us to consider how we can sustain our creative domains, and harness more original Filipino creative content for sustainable development.
As we endeavor to create a more creative and competitive Philippines, we will nurture creative cities that can showcase our cultural heritage and identity. We will continue integrating technological applications and innovations in the creative sector, including the promotion of digital transformation, in line with embracing Industry 4.0. We will be committed to providing proper upskilling that will breathe life into more Filipino creative ventures.
This Summit also explored how—together—we can more concretely advance Filipino creativity. Through the DTI’s Malikhaing Pinoy program, we seek to establish mechanisms to support world-class Filipino talents by providing a holistic set of programs that encompasses institutional strengthening and creative market acceleration. From a Creative Learning Academy, to a Creative Venture Fund, and Creative Innovation Centers.
To ensure that no creative sector will be left behind, the realignment and strengthening of the structures of governance over the creative industries is necessary. Furthermore, by highlighting the significance of the creative industries through trade and investment, we can build a healthy and competitive market for the sector.
In closing, I would like to express my appreciation to the organizing team for its dedication and hard work that enabled the success of this event. I thank all of our participants for actively engaging in our CIS 2023 and making it productive and meaningful.
Truly, with all of your help, we can make the Philippines the number one creative economy in the region. Mabuhay ang mga malikhaing Pilipino!*
Date of release: 08 March 2023