Biz groups eager for OK of Creative Industries Act

THE business groups are looking forward to the passage of the Creative Industries Development Act, which is seen to further expand the creative sector’s economic contribution.

In a statement on Tuesday, the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (Amcham) lauded the progress of the measure in Congress.

“With the inclusion of the bill in the House’s list of priorities, we are optimistic that the bill will be reported out to plenary and approved soon,” Amcham Executive Director Ebb Hinchliffe.

Amcham said that the “passage of the legislation creating strong institutional bodies, plans and incentives at the national and local level is crucial to achieving the Philippine goal of becoming the top creative economy in the Asean region in terms of size and value by 2030.”

Earlier this month, Amcham formed its first Creative Industries Committee with the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines (CECP). Future meetings will tackle the largest creative industry segments: advertising, animation, design film and software.

The foreign chamber said that several business groups previously co-sponsored a policy brief recommending the passage of the Creative Industries Act.

These include the CECP, Animation Council of the Philippines, Australiannew Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, The British Council, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Game Developers Association of the Philippines and IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines.

In addition, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Korean Chamber of Commerce Philippines, Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Us-asean Business Council also sponsored the policy brief.

For its part, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has vowed to support the creative industry—a sector seen generating high-value activities and job opportunities—in its bid to recover post-pandemic.

Trade Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba said earlier that the DTI Competitiveness and Innovation Group has been implementing a program dedicated to shaping the creative sector. The program aims to scale up creative talents, startups, entrepreneurs and businesses implementing new business models and information technology tools such as artificial intelligence.

The creative sector includes audio and audiovisual media, creative services, cultural sites, design, digital interactive media, performing arts, print and publishing, traditional cultural expressions and visual arts.