Cebu a thriving hub for the creative sector

CEBU, Philippines - Acknowledging the creative sector as a new driver and pillar for economic growth in the country, around 700 industry stakeholders gathered for the 2nd Cebu Creative Industries Summit yesterday at SM Cinema 1, SM City Cebu in celebration of this year’s Cebu Business Month (CBM) celebration of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

CCCI, as a business organization, considers the creative industries as a catalyst of dynamic economic growth in the country and one of the fastest-growing priority sectors local economy along with tourism, information and communications technology and business process outsourcing (ICT-BPO), and entrepreneurship.

In her welcome remarks, event chair Mary Anne Alcordo-Solomon said that the sector opens new channels for business and investments, thus serving as a high potential growth driver of the local economy.

She added that Cebu, known for its creativity and innovation, continues to be a thriving hub for both the traditional and non-traditional creative industry players whether it may be in the field of furniture, fashion jewelry, software development, filmmaking, theater, music, visual and graphic arts, literature and social media.

She said that the summit is designed to be a venue for an exchange of creative and innovative techniques for business growth and global competitiveness among stakeholders and professionals.

She said that creative industries are those that root from individual creativity, skill and talent and have the potential for wealth and job creation through the generation of intellectual property.

CBM 2013 overall chairperson Melanie Ng supported Solomon’s statements, saying that the 2nd Cebu Creative Industries Summit is aimed to highlight the creative industries and stakeholders and strengthen the economic development of the country through creativity.

“What we want is to grow what we already have and gain more in the future,” she stated, describing Cebu as a profitable powerhouse of craftsmanship, originality and innovation.

In a survey of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), the creative sector in the Philippines accounted a contribution of 5.2 percent of the total country’s Gross Domestic Product, estimating to US$592 million.

In 2008, Cebu was dubbed as the Creative City in the Philippines while it was named as the first ever ASEAN City of Culture in Asia in July 2011.

The one-day summit featured internationally and locally acclaimed industry professionals such as award-winning Kenneth Cobonpue, Joe Adam Fry of Google Global Creative Team at Google in London, Buck Richnold Sia of Zubu Design Associates, Jason Buensalido of Buensalido+Architects, PJ Ong of Inodoro Design Studio, Lorenzo “Insoy” Niñal of Missing Filemon, Joel Ruiz of Arkeofilms, Reese Fernandez-Ruiz of Rags 2 Riches, Inc. Lloyd Tronco of Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines, Butch Carungay of Avatar Accessories, Inc. Zen Pastoriza of  Creative Cebu Council, and April Dequito of Cebu International Documentary Film Festival.

Topics discussed by these prominent speakers included digital media for small businesses, inspiration to objects of desire, identity and design, design excellence, graphic design, songwriting, filmmaking, micro entrepreneurship, new tri-media industry, and creativity.

The whole-day program culminated with the screening of the 2012 Academy Award Winner for Documentary, the Saving Face. (FREEMAN)