MAKATI, PHILIPPINES – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with the ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC), held the first Philippines-Korea Creative Industry Forum last February 5. DTI’s Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC)-Seoul, led by Commercial Counsellor Jose Ma. S. Dinsay, and the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), led by Director Senen Perlada, organized the forum and business mission.
To gather first-hand information on the recent developments in the Philippine creative services sector and explore areas of possible cooperation, the AKC dispatched a business delegation comprising of 17 Korean animation, game development, and Webtoon companies. The business mission featured business matching activities and company visits, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Korean Animation Producers Association (KAPA) and the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI) to promote exchanges and strengthen cooperation between the two countries’ animation industries.
“The Philippine creative services sector accounts for 40.79% share of the total services exports of the Philippines, including animation, cultural, recreational, and audio visual services, as well as charges for the use of intellectual property (IP) rights, amounting to US$16.64 billion,” EMB Director Perlada said during the forum.
He also shared that the Philippines is home to several state-of-the-art creative hubs that bring together innovators and incubators for startups. The notable hubs in the country include Ateneo de Manila Arete Creative Hub, Miriam College Henry Sy Innovation Center, College of St. Benilde School of Design & the Arts, Ubisoft Philippines, and Dado Banatao Innovation Incubator (John Howkins Creative Leadership Center).
On behalf of DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, Trade Promotions Group Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman said that the DTI recognizes the potential of the local creative industry to boost economic development and considers the creative services sector as one of its top priorities.
Key leaders and advocates in the local creative sectors, including ACPI, Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP), and SIKAP – Creative Content Creators Associations gave presentations on their respective industries and addressed questions from the Korean business delegation during the forum.
ACPI President Juan Miguel del Rosario discussed how the Philippines is fast becoming a global hub of animation outsourcing with a sizeable entertainment industry and a large skilled talent pool, driving more animation outsourcing jobs to the country than ever before.
For the game development sector, GDAP President Alvin Juban shared that the local industry is driven by a strong client perception of the Philippine labor force, high quality 2D animation and game development work, and new market opportunities in the mobile and online space.
As for the creative IP sector, SIKAP Acting President Magoo del Mundo discussed the industry’s immediate future plans to further develop the sector through international compliance and global resonance, developing partnerships in licensing, merchandising and co-productions, and penetrating the character sector.
Korean Ambassador H.E. Han Dong-man, AKC Secretary-General H.E. Lee Hyuk, and DTI Undersecretary Rowel S. Barba were also present at the event.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) recently highlighted the role of creative industries in bringing in economic growth through trade and intellectual property rights activities. Various creative services in the Philippines, including the animation industry which is gaining traction in the international community, are currently being promoted extensively in the global market.
by Commercial Counsellor Jose Ma. S. Dinsay of PTIC-Seoul.
Date of Release: 24 February 2020