CREATION of the Baguio City’s creative council has been set.
In an ordinance filed by Councilor Maylen Yaranon, the Baguio City Creative Industry Council (BCCIC) aims to make creativity an essential element for sustainable development of this city.
Projects planned for the city are anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly on making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
The CIC also commits to supporting the United Nations frameworks, particularly the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda aligning its functions operational and technical mandates based on the Philippine Strategic Framework to Promote Philippine Culture and Values, 2017-2022.
The BCCIC membership is composed of Mayor Mauricio Domogan as chairman and the city budget officer as vice chairman while members include representative from the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the city council’s committee heads on tourism, parks, events and playgrounds; education, culture and historical research; public works; market, trade and commerce, and agriculture; employment, livelihood and cooperatives and persons with disabilities (PWDs), the Baguio Arts and Crafts Collectives, Inc., the academe, the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA), the National Economic Development Authority (Neda), Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP) and the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (Baguio Chapter).
Sectoral Representatives are composed of representatives from the seven creative fields of crafts & folk arts (sculpture and carving, metal craft, weaving, design, film, gastronomy, literature, music and media arts).
“By positioning Baguio as a creative city, we send the message to the present and future leaders of government and private sectors that sustainable and inclusive development of the city can be realized. It will also enliven the creative sectors and encourage them to continue innovating, becoming more productive, generating more employment, increasing household incomes, savings and more investments in the sector,” the councilor said.
Yaranon is eyeing over P600-million annual budget in implementing the action plan from city’s internal budgetary allocation to be implemented in phases in the coming years.
The budget of P630 will be allotted for study preparation, infra construction and refurbishment, and management with another P40 million for events execution and familiarization trips.
Among the major goals set by Baguio City to achieve by 2030 as a member of the Unesco Creative Cities Network are provide livelihood, foster close ties with fellow member cities, capacity development programs for crafts, institutionalization of the Baguio City Creative Arts Festival, develop the Baguio City Creative Circuit (BCCC), establishment of Creative Centers, offer entrepreneurship trainings and seminars to the City’s artists.
The new ordinance is co-authored by Councilors Elmer Datuin, Peter Fianza and Elaine Sembrano and passed its first reading during Monday’s regular session.