PH Pushes For Creation Of ASEAN Creative Economy Working Group

The Philippines pushed for the creation of an ASEAN creative economy working group (ACEWG) presented by Trade Undersecretary Rafelita Aldaba at the first meeting of the ASEAN senior economic officials from Jan. 16 to 17 in Semarang, Indonesia.

Aldaba proposed the integral role of the ACEWG in facilitating an integrated framework for ASEAN member states to create policies and guidelines to boost the development of creative industries and revitalize the creative sectors.

“Creativity is the way of the future. As digital technologies, culture, and the creative economy converge, ASEAN needs to strengthen collaboration, align its policies and regulations to address constraints, close financing gaps, and manage the unequal levels of digital readiness,” Aldaba said.

“All these are necessary to promote the growth and development of the creative economy, including culture-based creative industries heightening our ASEAN identity and rich history, culture, and heritage and embracing new technologies that are now shaping how content is produced and consumed,” Aldaba explained.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said creating a working group focused on the growth and development of the creative economy will give ASEAN member states a dedicated venue for discussing issues, exchanging information, and crafting solutions that could be implemented in the country and regional levels.

Last December, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual signed the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11904 or the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA) that would protect and strengthen the rights and capacities of creative industries.

“The collaborative efforts of different stakeholders in the creative ecosystem are all vital in building a vibrant and globally competitive Philippine creative economy. Hence, we have made sure that the PCIDA-IRR would be a product of synergistic discussions with other government agencies and the creative industry players,” Pascual said.

Pascual added, “The IRR will promote a better work environment and livelihood for creative workers, improve education, and access to financial support, develop industry data and statistics for policymakers, and harness other innovation efforts to help workers and firms in the creative economy.”

Pascual also emphasized the potential of the Philippine creative industry and the importance of the different stakeholders in building a vibrant scaled-up Philippine creative economy in the Asia-Pacific region to drive the country’s development and enrich our local culture.

The DTI said data showed that creative industries contribute almost 8% of the economy, employing five million workers and 12% of the country’s total exports.

Source: Philstar