DTI Validates Roadmap to Boost Performing Arts Sector

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) concluded its national validation session for the proposed Philippine Performing Arts (PA) Roadmap on April 25, 2025, at the Board of Investments Conference Room in Makati City.

The session, titled “Setting the Stage: Validation Session for the Performing Arts Roadmap,” brought together over 20 in-person stakeholders and 150 virtual participants from across the country.

Leaders in the field of performing arts guided the discussion, including Integrated Performing Arts Guild Founding Artistic Director Dr. Steven Patrick Fernandez, Cultural Center of the Philippines Artistic Director Dennis Marasigan, and incoming Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Artistic Director Robert Arlou Deguzman.

DTI Assistant Secretary and Competitiveness and Innovation Group (CIG) Supervising Head Nylah Rizza D. Bautista emphasized the importance of collaboration in shaping a realistic and forward-thinking roadmap.

“The validation session is more than just a procedural milestone,” Bautista said.

“It is a meaningful opportunity for collaboration—a chance for us to co-create a roadmap that is both aspirational and grounded in reality,” she added.

DTI-CIG Creative Industries Development Office Officer-in-Charge Director Lilian G. Salonga presented key provisions of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA) and shared updates on the Malikhaing Pinoy Program.

Josephine M. Virrey, head of the Policy, Research, and Analytics Division, and consultant Glorife S. Samodio unveiled findings from the industry scoping and road-mapping study.

The proposed roadmap is anchored on the B.E.A.M.S. Strategy Framework, which includes five pillars: Build Creative Ecosystem, Empower Creative Workforce, Accelerate Inclusive Innovation, Mobilize Financing Support, and Seize Market Opportunities.

It also outlines goals such as preserving cultural heritage, enhancing infrastructure, nurturing talent, and expanding the global reach of Filipino performing arts.

The roadmap provides a comprehensive assessment of the sector, detailing current challenges and its potential to generate cultural and economic value.

The performing arts industry—covering theater, literature, music, and dance—remains central to Filipino culture, despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grassroots initiatives and the resilience of the artistic community have sustained the sector through difficult times.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the creative industries generated PHP 1.94 trillion in 2024, contributing 7.3 percent to the country’s gross domestic product.

The sector also supported 7.26 million jobs nationwide, including about 34,000 workers in “music, arts, and entertainment activities.”

DTI reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the creative economy as both a cultural force and a driver of inclusive innovation.