By Alithea De Jesus
Believing in the power and result of collaboration, the Philippines under the initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), co-hosted a webinar last July 22 with Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy to explore post-pandemic promotion and cooperation in the creative economy sectors between the two countries.
Director for Indonesia’s Interagency Relations of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Baparekraf K. Candra Negara said the creative economy is a major contributor to the Indonesian economy. Based on 2017 data, 17.68 million or 14.61 percent of Indonesians work in the creative economy sector with an export value of USD19.84 billion in the same year. The four subsectors that absorb the most labor are fashion, culinary, craft, and publishing.
“The increasing cooperation in the promotion of the creative economy sector will not only grow the sector but also increase the opportunity for tourist visits,” said K. Candra Negara.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah Reyes, Jakarta-based Philippine Commercial Attachè echoed this by highlighting the need to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Indonesia on potential cooperation on the creative economy. “We have been in talks with Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Director for Inter-Institutional Relations since 2018.”
The Creative Economy Council of the Philippines (CECP) President and Founder Paolo Mercado presented the creative economy roadmap proposed by CECP, envisioning the Philippines as the leading creative economy in ASEAN by 2030. This roadmap included plans on policy and industries, identifying zones and cities, and developing education.
“One of the strengths of the Philippine creative economy is human resources. Indonesia is a potential country to work together within increasing the capacity of human resources in the creative economy sector,” Mercado said.
Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI) President Juan Miguel del Rosario discussed how the Philippines is fast becoming a global hub of animation outsourcing with sizeable entertainment industry and a large skilled talent pool, driving more animation outsourcing jobs to the country than ever before.
Advertising, film, animation, game development, and design make up the five main sectors that drive the Philippines’ creative economy. Specific segments that are being considered for promotion in Indonesia include game development, animation, fashion design, and culinary arts, as well as Creative Education and the Creative Service Partnership.