DTI chief signs IRR of PHL Creative Industries Development Act

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as spearheaded by Trade Secretary Fred Pascual signs the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11904, otherwise known as the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA).

The PCIDA, which lapsed into law on 28 July 2022, mandates the development of a vibrant Philippine creative industries by protecting and strengthening the rights and capacities of creative firms, artists, artisans, creators, creative workers, indigenous cultural communities, creative content providers, and other stakeholders.

The law provides adequate support measures to the Philippine creative industries which currently face various binding constraints to growth, such as high output costs, fragmented education systems, piracy issues, lack of data and statistics, underdeveloped branding and infrastructure, and wide skill gaps and mismatch, among others.

To steer and oversee the implementation of the law, it creates the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council (PCIDC), which will be chaired by the DTI Secretary, and composed of the Secretaries of the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Tourism (DOT), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); the Chairperson of the Commission of Higher Education (CHED), Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), and private sector representatives from various creative domains.

Aside from the PCIDC, the law also mandates the development of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Plan (PCIDP), which shall embody several support mechanisms geared to address the specific concerns in the creative ecosystem covering infrastructure, research and development, innovation, digitalization, financing, investment, and education, among others.

The law also seeks to develop and promote Philippine Creative Cities to produce more UNESCO-designated creative cities in the country by placing creativity and culture at the heart of local development plans and promoting the establishment of creative hubs and clusters.

The promulgation of the PCIDA-IRR is set to advance the country’s efforts in effectively executing the PCIDA towards enabling the creative industries to be a key driver of the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

DTI Secretary Fred Pascual sees the signing of the IRR as an important step towards harnessing the enormous potential of the Philippine 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”, he said.

Secretary Pascual also emphasized that “the signing of this IRR is an important enabling measure to effectively execute the PCIDA towards transforming the creative industries to drive our economic recovery and fuel an inclusive and sustainable growth.”

Further, highlighted that the PCIDA is set to bolster a collaborative environment for local creatives and the government; “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 added.

He also acknowledged the enormous potential of the Philippine creative industries, noting the role of different stakeholders in building a vibrant and scaled-up Philippine creative economy at the forefront of the Asia-Pacific Region, driving the country’s development, and further enriching our local culture. In fact, the creative industries contribute almost 8% to the economy, employing 5 million workers and generating exports accounting for 12% of the country’s total exports.

Meanwhile, Competitiveness and Innovation Undersecretary Rafaelita Aldaba added that “With new technologies & digital transformation, creative industries present new opportunities & innovation prospects for creative and cultural workers. Leveraging on cultural richness, skilled content artists and creators, and new technologies, the creative industries can act as the prime catalyst for creative disruption and innovation in the country”.

The creative industries are included in the priority industries of the DTI under its science, technology, and innovation-driven industrialization strategy, which aims to grow globally competitive and innovative industries and create more and better jobs in the country.

The signed version of the IRR may be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bsoPGKvKDwV14sQeAmSaXg9nqPlbqvmy/view.