Cebu aims to be next Creative Hub: Roadmap targets P30 billion value creation

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu is positioning itself as a regional hub for animation, gaming, film, and design, with the Cebu Creative Council unveiling an ambitious roadmap to accelerate the province’s creative economy.

Speaking at the recently held Creative Entertainment Business Forum, one of the highlights of Cebu Business Month (CBM 2025), Mario Panganiban, president of the council and a former trustee of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the initiative aims to expand the sector twentyfold by 2030, targeting P30 billion in value creation.

“This is both culture and commerce,” Panganiban said. “Cebu has the talent and the environment. What we need now is to scale and structure the ecosystem.”

The council’s seven-point agenda includes establishing a Creative District in Cebu City, strengthening collaboration with universities to align curricula with industry needs, and launching a venture capital fund to support startups and intellectual property creation. It also plans to set up shared service facilities for legal, accounting, and business support to reduce barriers for creative entrepreneurs.

The group is working with both foreign and domestic investors to expand production studios in Cebu. A German game development studio has already set up operations, with two American firms preparing to follow. Manila-based creative companies are also opening branches in Cebu, drawn by lower operating costs and a growing pool of young talent.

Another flagship project under discussion is “Silver City,” a 200,000-square-metre “live, work, play, and learn” township envisioned as a dedicated creative hub. Scheduled to break ground in 2026, it will integrate housing, production facilities, and learning institutions tailored to the sector.

The council is also pushing a “brain gain” program to encourage Filipino talents working abroad to return, offering competitive pay scales and incentives. In addition, regional creative hubs are being mapped in Cebu’s municipalities as well as in Dumaguete, Siargao, and Ormoc to decentralize opportunities beyond the provincial capital.

Panganiban highlighted Cebu’s balance of lifestyle and business competitiveness as a key advantage. “Invest in Cebu, and you profit in paradise,” he told stakeholders and partners from Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan at a recent industry gathering.

The creative sector has emerged as a fast-growing pillar of the Philippine economy, and Cebu is positioning itself to capture a larger share of the global market for animation, gaming, and content production. By formalizing its industry agenda and courting international capital, the province is betting it can rival Manila as the country’s leading creative hub.

Cebu was officially recognized as a British Council Creative Capital in 2008, earning the title Creative Capital of the Philippines under the Council’s “Creative Cities” program. The designation was part of a regional initiative launched by the British Council to highlight creativity as a driver of economic and cultural development in Southeast Asia. Cebu was selected over other contenders—including Manila, Vigan, Silay, Liliw, Paete, and Davao—as the focus of the Creative Philippines hub.