THE country’s creative economy reached P1.6 trillion in 2022, contributing 7.3 percent to the national gross domestic product, according to the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
This represents an increase of 12.1 percent from the P1.43 trillion recorded value in 2021.
The creative economy is composed of the following industries: audio and audiovisual media activities; digital interactive goods and service activities; advertising, research and development and other artistic service activities.
It also covers symbols and images and other related activities; media publishing and printing activities; music, arts and entertainment activities; visual arts activities; traditional cultural expression activities; and art galleries, museums, ballrooms, conventions and trade shows and related activities.
Of the creative industries, symbols and images and other related activities had the highest share of 32.9 percent, or P528.35 billion, of the total creative economy in 2022. This is higher by 10 percent than the P480.41 billion value of creative economy in 2021.
Advertising, research and development and other artistic service activities contributed 20.8 percent, while digital interactive goods and service activities shared 20.3 percent in 2022.
Employment
These industries generated 6.98 million jobs, up by 10.5 percent from 6.32 million in 2021.
Employment in traditional cultural expression activities recorded the highest share of 42.5 percent last year.
This was followed by symbols and images and other related activities (24.8 percent) and advertising, research and development and other artistic service activities (18 percent).
Early this year, the Philippines proposed the creation of an Asean Creative Economy Working Group (ACEWG), which aims to provide a platform for Asean member states to collaborate and exchange best practices towards a more robust regional approach for the growing creative economy sector.
DTI-Competitiveness and Innovation Group Undersecretary Rafaelita Aldaba pitched this during the first meeting of the Asean Senior Economic Officials held on Jan. 16-17 in Semarang, Indonesia. She said the ACEWG will facilitate among others, an integrated framework for Asean member states to formulate policies and guidelines to boost the development of creative industries and revitalize the creative sectors.
“Creativity is the way of the future. As digital technologies, culture and the creative economy converge, Asean needs to strengthen collaboration, align its policies and regulations to address constraints, close financing gaps and manage the unequal levels of digital readiness. All these are necessary to promote the growth and development of the creative economy including culture-based creative industries heightening our Asean identity and rich history, culture and heritage and embrace new technologies that are now shaping how content is produced and consumed,” said Aldaba.
By creating a working group on the growth and development of the creative economy, Asean member states would have a dedicated venue for discussing issues, cultivating exchanges of information and crafting solutions and other support mechanisms that could be implemented at the country and regional levels, she added.