Creative Cebu

An aptly merging of creative minds from various industries ensued when the 2nd Cebu Creative Industries Summit was held last June 14at SM Cinema 1, SM City Cebu. 

In celebration of the Cebu Business Month (CBM), the activity aims to reinforce the creative industries as a strategy for increasing economic growth and global competitiveness of our creative professionals.

It was an assembly of industry players, partners, development agencies, students, and members of the education sector. I took the opportunity to witness the event together with some of my fellow professors and students. Like other series of activities in relation to the celebration, I noticed that the academe has increasingly positioned its dominant presence-acknowledgment of the great potential of the young minds and the academic authority in terms of knowledge generation. 

I was impressed by the mixture of speakers that included the planning lead for the Google Global Creative Lab in London, UK, Dr. Joe Adam Fry, whose idea about innovation is very practical, that is, “making what seems to be an old idea more relevant to the customers.” Another speaker is a multi-awarded designer and manufacturer from Cebu, and the creative director of Hive, Kenneth Cobonpue who has been generous part-time teaching to students taking up Fine Arts major in Product Design at the University of the Philippines Cebu. He stressed that he got his inspiration from his own surroundings and everyday undertakings, transforming them to world-class creations.

Other speakers include award-winning architect, Jason Buensalido, graphic designer and art director PJ Ong, Cebuano writer, musician and songwriter InsoyNiñal, whom I was taken aback by the intensity of his love of the Cebuano language. While other speakers flawlessly used English in the discussion, Mr. Niñal, using the native language, won the hearts of the audience. TV commercial director and indie filmmaker Joel Ruiz also shared the prospects for aspiring and budding filmmakers. Elevating the value of a simple rag to world-class product like handbags and fashion accessories was the sharing of social entrepreneur Reese Fernandez-Ruiz.

My former high school student Butch Carungay of Avatar Accessories, Inc. talked about the complementing left and right brain for reasoning and creativity. He highlighted District 32, another avenue that would showcase local products of world-class quality. Mr. Lloyd Tronco of the Philippine Center for Out-of-Home Media Research and Science shared about the new potent media, the internet. Architects Buck Sia of Zubu Design Associates and April Dequito completed the originative speakers.

I would like to support the idea of making Cebu known in the world as a creative city. This is considering that we have creative people like the artisans, the real builders of the creative world. Using local talents and exploring what we have in our own backyard-this is indeed the essence of recognizing one's ability and being proud of the unique identity. What we have and can do that we can be proud of to the rest of the world.

Known for its creativity and innovation, Cebu continues to be a flourishing core 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.

The fusion of traditional craftsmanship and high-end technologies would bring about an avantgarde creative output. Nurturing what is locally available and exploring the possible integration of something new creates a perfect blend of redefined, enhanced product.  

If we only provide more opportunities for the creative minds, we would pave a way for Cebu to position itself as a truly creative capital and would open doors to overseas Filipino artists to come home and create here.

In 2008, Cebu was hailed as the Creative City in the Philippines. Three years later, it was named as the first ever ASEAN City of Culture. Years from now, who knows, Cebu as a Creative City in the world?