Digitalization emphasized the need for a creative industries law – DTI
The pandemic-induced digitalization across industries has emphasized the importance of a creative industries law in the Philippines, said Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba.
During a virtual forum organized by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham), Aldaba stated that they “would like to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the availability of new technologies and use these tools to drive the recovery of the creative industry.”
According to DTI, the pandemic caused the decline of creative exports last year to US$6.2 billion from US$6.7 billion in 2019. About 61% of arts and entertainment companies have also halted their operations, with 21% shutting down permanently.
Aldaba noted that the country must address the expansion constraints in the industry, including high costs in the film and gaming sectors, low levels of investment, and a bias for foreign creative goods.
The proposed Philippine Creative Industries Development Act will help establish the Philippine Creative Industry Development Council which will be responsible for promoting the development of creative content and protecting local creators from intellectual property infringement.
