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Several injured in shooting at Bukidnon IP protest attended by presidential bet Ka Leody

LABOR leader and presidential candidate Leodegario "Ka Leody" de Guzman (in black jacket and red shirt) in a consultation meeting with indigenous community leaders in Bukidnon on April 18, the night before the shooting incident. — KA LEODY DE GUZMAN TWITTER ACCOUNT 

AT LEAST five people were injured after gunshots were fired at a protest of an indigenous peoples community against alleged land-grabbing in Quezon, Bukidnon on Tuesday, which was attended by labor leader and presidential candidate Leodegario “Ka Leody” de Guzman.  

“Thank you for those who were concerned, Roy Cabonegro, David D’Angelo, and I are safe,” Mr. de Guzman said in Filipino on Twitter, referring to two senatorial candidates from his party who were also at the site.   

“An organizer of farmers and a leader of the Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe beside me were hit,” he added.   

The protest action by the Manobo-Pulangiyon IP community was against the alleged land grabbing of their ancestral land, according to a Facebook post by Mr. De Guzman’s party, the Partido Lakas ng Masa.  

The IP community claims to have been forced to leave their ancestral domain of about 900 hectares by a large corporation linked to the incumbent mayor of Quezon, said Mr. de Guzman’s media team in a Viber message.  

The municipal government of Quezon has yet to respond to a query on the response of Mayor Pablo M. Lorenzo III, who is running for reelection.   

“Those responsible did not fire warning shots, but directly fired at us which lasted for about 15 minutes,” Mr. de Guzman told a press briefing on Tuesday via Zoom. “Land grabbers look at our indigenous peoples as pigs who can be shot.”  

Election Watchdog Kontra Daya, in a tweet, also condemned the incident as an “apparent case of election-related violence” and urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct an investigation.    

Commissioner George Erwin M. Garcia said via Viber, “This is a cowardly act that should be condemned by peace-loving Filipinos. If this is an election-related incident, count the Comelec in to use all our powers to get to the bottom of this and hold accountable the culprits and face the full force of the law.”  

Presidential Spokesperson Jose Martin M. Andanar, in a statement on Tuesday, called on local authorities to investigate and prosecute those behind what he described as a “dastardly act.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez 

Storm Agaton agri damage climbs to P1.4B; death toll at 175 

PCG

AGRICULTURAL damage due to tropical storm Agaton, with international name  Megi, has risen to P1.4 billion, the Department of Agriculture reported on Tuesday.   

Damage and losses have been reported in the regions of Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Soccsksargen and Caraga, affecting 23,188 farmers and fishers.   

Volume of production loss stood at 35,258 metric tons (MT) across 17,384 hectares of agricultural areas.  

“The increase in overall damage and losses is due to additional reports on fisheries in Western Visayas,” the department said in its April 19 bulletin.  

Affected commodities include rice, corn, high value crops, livestock, and fisheries.  

Available interventions include at least P662.5 million worth of financial assistance, including: P500 million worth of Quick Response Fund for the rehabilitation of affected areas, and P100 million under the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Assistance Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council for Western Visayas.  

The department is also providing P42.07 million worth of rice seeds, P16.76 million worth of corn seeds, and P3.61 million worth of assorted vegetables.  

The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation will also allocate funding to indemnify affected farmers.  

CASUALTIES
Meanwhile, search and retrieval operations were continuing as of Tuesday, according to authorities, with 110 still classified as missing while the death toll has reached 175 based on the national disaster agency’s latest report.    

The Department of the Interior and Local Government said on Tuesday that 8,823 police officers and firefighters were deployed to assist in the evacuation, search, rescue, and retrieval operations as storm Agaton triggered flooding and landslides last week, mostly in central parts of the country.   

Military officers and local emergency teams have also been part of the response operations.   

Most of those who died were due to massive landslides in the province of Leyte in Eastern Visayas, with at least 110 in Baybay City and more than 50 in Abuyog town. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson and John Victor D. Ordoñez

US donates additional P17.5 million to support ecosystem and community recovery post-Odette

THE UNITED States government has donated an additional P17.5 million to support recovery efforts for the ecosystem and communities in areas heavily affected by typhoon Odette, internationally known as Rai, which struck southern and central parts of the Philippines in mid-December.   

“This additional assistance will support local organizations in assessing the extent of damage to ecosystems and wildlife habitats, enhancing their resilience and recovery, and provide assistance to farmers, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples whose livelihoods were destroyed by the typhoon,” the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement on Tuesday.  

American government aid for Odette response and recovery now totals P1.1 billion, it said.   

Seven civil society organizations in Siargao Island, Dinagat Islands, Palawan, Cebu, Bohol, Southern Leyte, and mainland Caraga will be given P2.5 million each to implement projects to mitigate long-term damage and environment risks.  

The goal is to rehabilitate coastal and terrestrial ecosystems, support disaster risk reduction and management initiatives, rebuild livelihoods through biodiversity-friendly enterprises, and provide incentives for local communities helping with the rehabilitation.  

Meanwhile, China has donated over P10 million to provide assistance to those affected by tropical storm Agaton, internationally known as Megi, which hit the country last week.  

“We wish all those affected could overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homes at an early date,” Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said in a Facebook post on Monday.  

The Philippines, which sits within the typhoon belt in the western Pacific Ocean, gets an average of 20 storms every year. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan 

No major damage from magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Davao Oriental  

A MAGNITUDE 6.2 earthquake struck Davao Oriental province in Mindanao, the Philippine southern mainland, at mid-morning Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.   

The tectonic tremor was located offshore, about 57 kilometers east of Manay town.                   

Intensity 4 — which is generally felt indoors with vibration similar to a passing heavy truck, according to Phivolcs’ 10-level intensity scale — was reported in parts of Davao Oriental as well as in Hinatuan and Bislig City in neighboring Surigao del Sur.  

Phivolcs said no damage was expected from the earthquake but warned of aftershocks. At least 12 aftershocks were recorded by the agency as of 12 noon, ranging in magnitude from 2.9 to 4.4.  

There were no immediate reports of significant damage from local governments.   

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said power transmission services were not affected.   

“The Mindanao Grid remains intact as there are no reports of power interruption and damaged transmission facilities in Davao Oriental and nearby areas where the earthquake was felt,” it said. — MSJ

SC junks former OMB chair’s petition to dismiss graft charges 

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE SUPREME Court (SC) has dismissed the petition of former Optical Media Board (OMB) chairperson Ronald N. Ricketts to dismiss the graft charges against him for failing to file charges against sellers of pirated DVD and VCD goods during a raid in 2010.  

In a resolution dated Nov. 18 last year and made public on Apr. 19, the High Court affirmed the resolutions of the Sandiganbayan in 2012 and 2017 denying his motion for a demurrer to evidence for lack of merit.  

A demurrer of evidence asserts that the evidence presented by the opposing party is insufficient.  

Mr. Ricketts argued that the anti-graft court committed grave abuse of discretion in denying his motion as there is insufficient evidence to sustain his indictment. 

In 2010, a team of OMB agents seized 127 boxes and two sacks of pirated DVDs and VCDs along Quiapo, Manila. Three Chinese nationals were arrested and the confiscated materials were brought to the OMB office.   

The former OMB chief allegedly told his personnel to load 121 of the 127 boxes of pirated products to a truck marked “Sky High Marketing,” and no charges were filed by the agency against any person after.  

The Office of the Ombudsman filed a complaint before the Sandiganbayan against Mr. Ricketts and his co-accused for supposedly giving “unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference” to Sky High Marketing Corporation. It added that Mr. Ricketts caused damage and prejudice to the government by not filing the appropriate charges against the offenders. 

“The orderly procedure prescribed by the Revised Rules of Court is for the accused to present his evidence, after which the trial court, on its own assessment of the evidence submitted, will then properly render its judgment of acquittal or conviction,” the High Court said in its ruling. — John Victor D. Ordoñez

Melbourne City dominates United City, 3-0, in AFC Champions League

UNITED City FC stumbled to its second consecutive loss in the 2022 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, bowing to Australia’s Melbourne City FC, 3-0, on Monday night in Pathum Thani, Thailand.

The reigning Philippine titlist gave up 21 shots and nine corners to the A-League kingpins, who dominated possession at 64.8% and found the back of the net through brace-scorer Marco Tilio and Stefan Colakovski.

The loss, which came three days after a 1-0 opening defeat to Korea’s Jeonnam Dragons, left United City at the bottom of Group G.

Melbourne, with four points on one win and one draw, took the lead on goal difference against BG Pathum United, which beat Jeonnam in the other game 2-0.

Colakovski fired a right-footed shot from the right side of the box in the 34th minute to put Melbourne on the board against listless United.

Twenty-year-old forward Tilio doubled the Australians’ lead 14 minutes after restart with his low effort from eight yards then got his second goal off a Raphael Rodrigues assist in the 75th to put the game beyond reach. — Olmin Leyba

Liverpool has to be ‘angry’ and ‘greedy’ against Man Utd, says Klopp

LIVERPOOL manager Jürgen Klopp has told his players to view their Premier League game against Manchester United later on Tuesday as the most important three points of their lives as they continue their push for an unprecedented quadruple.

Liverpool, who has already won the League Cup and are in the FA Cup final and the Champions League semifinals, trail league leaders Manchester City by a point with seven games left.

While fifth-placed United are on course for a fifth straight season without a trophy, Klopp told reporters on Monday that they can still cause Liverpool “massive problems” at Anfield.

“We have to be angry in a good way and all these kind of things,” he said. “Greedy, really, like you are if you have won nothing, like you would be with nil points and it is the most important three points in your life.

“That’s actually the attitude we need for this game because the quality is too high and they are too good for not being in that mood.”

Ralf Rangnick has failed to inspire a turnaround in United’s fortunes since taking over on an interim basis last year and Klopp said there was no quick fix for the club’s issues.

“We had a similar situation when I started here,” he added. “We were not flying from the first day. Let me say it like this, and you might have thought after six or seven weeks: ‘Is it really much better than before?’”

“When you are in that situation, you just accept that you need all the steps. You cannot just put on a magic sprinkle and go from there.” — Reuters

76ers roll over short-handed Raptors for 2-0 series lead

JOEL Embiid had 31 points and 11 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Toronto Raptors 112-97 to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference opening round playoff series on Monday.

Tyrese Maxey added 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Tobias Harris contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds and James Harden chipped in with 14 points as the Sixers defended their home court with a pair of wins. Danny Green also had 11.

It was the 100th career playoff win for head coach Doc Rivers.

Game 3 will be played Wednesday in Toronto.

OG Anunoby led the Raptors with 26 points, Fred VanVleet added 20 and Pascal Siakam had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Boucher also scored 17.

The Raptors played without Scottie Barnes, who suffered an ankle injury in Game 1 when Embiid landed on him.

Toronto’s Gary Trent, Jr. played 10 minutes and didn’t return due to a non-COVID illness. He was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting.

The Sixers went ahead 59-46 when Harden drove to the basket and scored with 5:09 left in the second quarter.

Precious Achiuwa responded with a jumper on Toronto’s ensuing possession.

Philadelphia then surged to a 67-52 lead heading into the locker room thanks in large part to Embiid’s 19 points. All 19 came in the first quarter.

VanVleet paced the Raptors with 17, though he shot 6 of 18 overall.

The Sixers came out aggressive on both ends of the court to begin the third and opened a 19-point advantage after dunks by Embiid and Harris.

Philadelphia held a 95-71 lead at the end of the third.

Toronto’s frustration became evident when Siakam was whistled for a technical foul with 10:19 remaining in the fourth.

The Raptors responded and soon closed within 97-84 after Anunoby hit a trey with 7:31 to go.

Following an empty Sixers possession, Toronto came back with a tough layup by Khem Birch.

Maxey halted the 20-2 run with a 3-pointer and a 100-86 lead.

The Sixers cruised to the win from there. — Reuters

Barca’s shock loss to Cadiz puts Real on verge of LaLiga title

BARCELONA — Barcelona’s faint hopes of catching LaLiga leaders Real Madrid suffered a huge blow as they slipped to a shock 1-0 home defeat by relegation-threatened Cadiz on Monday.

Real’s last-gasp victory at Sevilla on Sunday extended their advantage over Barça in second to 15 points, but Xavi Hernandez’s in-form side were expected to close the gap by beating Cadiz at the Camp Nou.

The hosts never really got going, however, in front of a disgruntled crowd and Cadiz had the better first-half openings with Lucas Perez missing a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock.

Cadiz kept coming after the interval and Perez scored in the 48th minute before the visitors wasted further big chances to extend their advantage — Alex Fernandez slotting wide when it looked easier to score.

Barça piled on the pressure but lacked that killer pass as they slipped to a first defeat in 16 LaLiga matches stretching back to December. They remained on 60 points from 31 games, 15 behind Real who have one hand on the trophy.

“We had the chances, more than enough to take the three points, but we have to rise from this and think about the next games,” Xavi said.

“We have to change our form as soon as possible. We have got back into the Champions League places but we have to keep going.

“It’s a very bad week for us and we need to change the dynamic as soon as possible.”

Aside from their shock Europa League exit at home to Eintracht Frankfurt last week, Barça has enjoyed a revival under Xavi in recent months to climb back into the title race.

Not only had they gone 16 matches unbeaten in the league, they had won their previous seven LaLiga games in a row, scoring 22 goals in the process.

Other than Ousmane Dembele’s shot, they did not look like scoring in the opening period, with Cadiz, looking for their first-ever win in the Nou Camp, much the better side.

The decisive strike came at the third attempt after Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a fine double save, with Perez picking the perfect moment to score his first league goal of the season.

Ter Stegen saved Barça on several occasions before substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang almost snatched a point for Barcelona who have now lost two home games in a row for the first time since 2003. — Reuters

Celtics vs Nets

The most-anticipated matchup of the first round of the National Basketball Association Playoffs lived up to billing. Owing to unique circumstances, the Celtics found themselves pitted against the highly regarded Nets. And given the personalities on tap, the hype was far more than that normally accompanying a set-to involving second and seventh conference seeds. The 19,156-strong crowd at the TD Garden were certainly pumped, and, in the end, rewarded by a thrilling victory off a last-second layup at the buzzer by resident top dog and surefire All-league selection Jayson Tatum.

Needless to say, fans were buoyed — or, to be more precise, riled up — by the presence of former hero turned heel Kyrie Irving. The Celtics faithful predictably booed him at every turn, even hurling invectives his way. And for a couple of instances, he felt compelled to react accordingly. As he noted, “The same energy they have for me, I’m gonna have… for them. It’s not every fan, [but] there’s only but so much you can take as a competitor.”

For the most part, though, Irving seemed to secure motivation from all the negative reactions. He was close to unstoppable from the get-go, and certainly a handful for the Celtics, even for newly minted Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart. That said, he displayed less-than-stellar decision making in the end, leading to a rushed 30-foot attempt from All-Star teammate Kevin Durant and setting up Tatum’s buzzer beater.

The Celtics rightly celebrated, but the Nets have reason to hold their heads high. The latter came close to winning the series opener even though Durant uncharacteristically struggled from the field. That’s not likely to happen again. Meanwhile, Irving figures to stay fueled by the desire to put the Celtics in his rear-view mirror. “This is a guy that made the game-winning shot in the Finals, played in the Olympics, [became] All-Star Game MVP. I don’t know [if] there’s any atmosphere that’s really gonna rattle him,” argued head coach Steve Nash.

In short, all and sundry better be prepared for a long series. Game Two tomorrow looks to be close anew, as will just about every match thereafter. And whether the Celtics or the Nets ultimately prevail depends on, in Nash’s words, “a split second here and there.”

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Effecting a Civil-Maritime Regime in the Philippine Archipelago

BW FILE PHOTO

The late 2010s were marked by Southeast Asian states’ efforts to build and develop their nascent coast guards and other maritime law enforcement agencies (MLEAs). These countries see the need to protect and manage their maritime jurisdiction as well as defend their offshore claims and secure their maritime interests and resources. For these littoral states, the coast guard is seen as the primary agency for effecting a civil-maritime regime in their respective territorial and contiguous waters, and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).

NAVY OR COAST GUARD?
In the last century, Southeast Asian countries have protected their maritime domain by building and deploying their modern navies. Navies represent a strong expression of raw state power and control over the sea aimed at conveying to other states that the disputed territory is a matter of national security and a clear signal that a state is willing to use force against other states. The navy’s task is primarily naval warfighting and deterrence against maritime aggression for national defense. Naval vessels play a significant role in a state’s projection of its maritime power. They are designed and built for high technology warfare and high intensity maritime operations.

The coast guard is different from the navy since it is responsible for law enforcement and safety and security in waters under national jurisdiction. Coast guard activities primarily involve a wide range of routine and peacetime maritime security regimes such as safety of seafarers, and the protections of vessels, ports, the marine environment, and offshore installations, and the provision of humanitarian and disaster assistance.

It is a civilian agency optimized for low-intensity maritime operations, tasked primarily with constabulary operations based on a principle of reasonable use of force that requires skills and training in the effective enforcement of civil regulatory frameworks at sea. It is seen as the civilian face of state power in maritime areas whose operation is conducted under a domestic civilian jurisdiction, subject to domestic laws and regulation, and designed for effecting a civil-maritime security governance in Southeast Asia.

EFFECTING A CIVIL MARITIME-SECURITY REGIME
Southeast Asian states have recently relied on their newly established coast guards rather than on their long-established navies to manage their maritime domains and, in certain cases, assert their sovereign rights over disputed waters against other states. This is only natural since Southeast Asia is the site of the world’s two largest archipelagic states, Indonesia and the Philippines. The subregion is crisscrossed by several important bodies of water such as the South China Sea and the Malacca Straits.

The littoral states have long recognized the need to establish civil-maritime security governance to manage the dramatic increase in maritime related activities and to address non-traditional security challenges at sea.

The emergence of a vibrant and integrated regional economy, the increase in trade, and the consequent boom in shipping demand have led to a surge in maritime commerce and trade. An externality to this development is the proliferation of non-traditional security challenges in the waters of Southeast Asia, such as illegal fishing that leads to marine environmental destruction, piracy, terrorism, trade in illicit drugs, pollution incidents, and human trafficking.

As one of the two Southeast Asian archipelagic states, the Philippines has designated the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as the lead agency in instituting a civil maritime-security regime over its 7,000 islands, which constitute over a tenth of the global coastline. This civilian agency has diverse tasks ranging from ensuring maritime safety, security, and law and good order to deploying its white hulls in efforts to protect and safeguard the Philippines’ claim in the South China Sea. It is an armed and uniformed civilian service tasked primarily with enforcing national laws, ensuring maritime safety and security, and protecting the marine environment — all missions that are similar to a typical coast guard.

The PCG, given its vast powers and unique characteristics, can transition seamlessly across defense-support and policing activities while keeping its universal treatment as a humanitarian service agency.

During President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s term, the PCG played an important role in assisting her administration in realizing the vision of a “Strong Republic” linked by the Philippine Nautical Highway System, in providing assistance to victims of several maritime accidents, and managing the country’s worst oil spill disaster off Guimaras Island in July 2006. At the end of her nine-year term, the Philippine Congress passed the PCG Law of 2009 which clearly and legally stipulated that this agency would remain under the Department of Transportation and Communication’s permanent supervision.

In the 2020s, the PCG is the Philippine government’s primary enforcer of the country’s maritime rights and interests in the country’s EEZ, a role that the Philippine Navy (PN) traditionally held until the Scarborough stand-off of 2012. The Philippine government and its security partners, such as Australia and Japan, have invested in the development of the PCG’s capabilities in recent years.

Still plagued with challenges such as lack of technology, limited manpower, the absence of shore infrastructure to support its operations at sea, and its lingering inter-service dynamics with the PN, the PCG nevertheless assumes an essential role in enforcing and strengthening the country’s civil maritime security.

 

Dr. Renato De Castro is a Trustee and Convenor of the National Security and East Asian Affairs Program of the Stratbase ADR Institute.

Strategic plan for creative industries

FREEPIK

(Part 4)

One very obvious lesson we can learn from the countries in which the creative industry sector has reached a certain level of success is the very important role of the Government in supporting the various stakeholders of the industry. That is why I would like to report in this article what the leaders of the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines (CECP) expect of the next administration so that their industry can take full advantage of the favorable global trends that we have been enumerating in the previous articles of this series. It would be logical that the champions for the local creative in the next administration should be legislators, cabinet officials, and local government officials who have themselves been involved in the industry as film or TV actors and actresses, media personalities, musicians, and entertainers in general. This article is first and foremost addressed to them.

The ideas contained in this article have been extracted mostly from a position paper prepared by the CECP at the height of the pandemic. There is a portion of the strategy paper devoted to how the sector will be able to recover from the adverse impact of the pandemic. A larger part of the strategic recommendation is a long-term Creative Economy Roadmap up to 2030. Since I have covered the short-term stop-gap measures in a previous part of this series, I will focus on the long-term plan envisioned by the CECP, especially on what they expect at least the next three administrations to do to proactively help the sector to flourish and to attain the vision of becoming the top creative economy in the ASEAN region in much the same way that South Korea is the top creative economy in Northeast Asia.

Using Strategic Planning nomenclature, the stated Vision 2030 is: By 2030, the Philippines will be the Number One Creative Economy in the ASEAN in terms of size and value of our creative industries, as well as the competitiveness and attractiveness of our creative talents and content in the international markets. To attain this Vision 2030, the major objectives are as follows:

1. Rebuild the creative industries to generate jobs, grow its contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), and stimulate inclusive development across the country.

2. Accelerate the growth of creative exports, especially creative services outsourcing.

3. Develop, promote, and protect Filipino intellectual property in content and innovation for long-term sustainable value.

4. Build a renewed sense of pride and cultural soft power through Filipino creativity that is recognized and valued across the world.

To attain these objectives, six strategic areas will be pursued, as follows:

1. Creative policy: Establish a Creative Economy Agency that will set growth targets for the Philippine Creative Economy and will implement the policies to accelerate growth.

2. Creative industries: Identify priority creative industries that have the highest potential to generate jobs and revenues from domestic and foreign markets.

3. Creative zones: Develop special economic creative zones where prioritized creative industries collocate to achieve economies of scale and gain market viability.

4. Creative cities. Encourage LGUs, especially outside Metro Manila, to embrace their own creative economy development agenda. Incentivize cities that gain UNESCO Creative Cities recognition. Some of my own candidates for these “creative cities” are Balanga, Bataan; Baguio; Cebu; Vigan, Ilocos Sur; Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Iloilo City; Dumaguete City; Zamboanga City; Naga City; and Lipa City. I am sure there will be more. I suggest that those who will be elected LGU officials of these cities (and others) make use of part of what they will receive from the National Government under the Mandanas-Garcia ruling to fund some of the facilities (in partnership with the private business sector) that will be needed to realize this objective.

5. Creative tourism. Grow tourism through creative festivals, events, and visits to creative communities. The more than 60 million Filipinos who were domestic tourists before the pandemic are expected to indulge in “revenge travel” after the pandemic. They should be the first to be targeted by the creative cities even before the foreign tourists who can be expected to come back in big numbers only in 2024.

6. Creative education. Strengthen our pipeline of world class Filipino creatives, while becoming an ASEAN Center of Excellence for Creative Education. The courses envisioned here should be patterned after the offerings of the College of St. Benilde system, an innovative offshoot of my alma mater, De La Salle University, that knew how to package academic programs that were more skills-oriented rather than college diploma-focused. The programs offered, more along the line of tech-voc education, are arts management, dance, music production, production design, theater arts, architecture, fashion design and merchandising, industrial design, interior design, animation, film, multimedia arts, culinary arts, photography, hospitality management, travel and tourism management, and real estate management.

As a guide to the next administration and future ones, the following goals and key result areas (KRAs) are being proposed:

1. Creative policy: Grow the creative economy from 6.52% of GDP to 15% by 2030; grow creative jobs from less than one million to 5 million full time jobs by 2030; be the Number One in ASEAN Creative Exports, focusing on our competitive advantage of creative services exports rather than goods exports.

2. Creative industries: Accelerate digital creative services exports/outsourcing, especially animation, game development, software and digital marketing; target $15 billion to $20 billion by 2030; reinvigorate creative goods exports with improved design and technology. Target $5 billion to $10 billion of creative goods by 2030.

3. Creative zones: Have 10 Creative Special Economic Zones across the country with the Clark Creative Zone as a lighthouse model.

4. Creative cities: Have five or more UNESCO Creative Cities that stimulate sustainable economic growth across the country through LGU policies that are focused on encouraging the establishment of creative enterprises in their localities. Baguio and Cebu can be pioneer models.

5. Creative tourism: 10 million foreign tourists attending Philippine-based creative festivals and events; generate at least $1 billion in creative tourism revenues ($100 per tourist for arts, crafts and experience).

6. Creative education: Provide world class creative education needed for 5 million creative jobs; become the ASEAN leader in creative education, with foreign students at 10% to 15% of the total creative students.

To achieve these goals, the Government, in close partnership with business and the academe, must implement the following policies and projects:

1. Establish a Creative Economy Technical Working Group (TWG) under the leadership of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). This TWG will federate and orchestrate the efforts of various agencies (the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Science and Technology, Tourism, and Education departments, the National Economic and Development Authority, etc.) to work together towards common goals; DTI leadership should monitor closely industry development, job creation, and economic impact; the TWG will set the foundation for a Creative Economy Agency to be patterned after Indonesia’s BEKRAF (Badan Ekonomi Kreatif).

2. Develop official creative economy statistics through consistent measurement and mapping: officially define creative industries to be included in the creative economy; measure jobs and revenues in each sector of the industry; provide creative economy statistical data for all key cities, using the tools of big data analysis; track the growth of the creative economy by industry and by geographical region year on year.

3. Develop an acceleration plan for creative services exports and outsourcing: clearly define priority international markets and sectors; define the resources needed to grow Philippine market share in these global markets; attract FDI into Philippine creative industries to accelerate growth; fund trade missions and investor road shows for identified priority industries; Project Benchmark: the IBPAP Industry Association plan developed by McKinsey.

4. Reinvigorate creative goods exports through design and technology interventions: develop programs for design workshops, manufacturing technology, and digital marketing innovation to help creative goods exporters improve their competitiveness in international markets.

5. The Intramuros Maestranza Creative Quarter for Design: Project concept approval by the Intramuros Board and Tourism department for priority execution in 2023; Project Benchmark: Thailand Design Center.

6. The Clark Creative Zone: creative process outsourcing (animation, digital games, software development, and digital marketing services, concept development and planning in progress with BCDA) for priority execution in 2023; Project Benchmark: the Dubai Media City.

7. National Government Incentives for accredited UNESCO Creative Cities: Fund to help creative city-specific projects (e.g. the Baguio International Creative Festival, the Baguio Creative Hub for Crafts and Folk Art); encourage LGUs to submit applications for 2023.

8. Develop an International Creative Festival designed to attract international participants: After the pandemic crisis, develop a high-profile Creative Festival that will help revive Philippine foreign tourism, although domestic tourism is expected to bounce back much earlier (the Panagbenga Festival in Baguio was already revived this March); Project Benchmark: the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Edinburgh Theater Festival.

9. Creative Talent Development Strategy: Identify talent gaps/needs for priority industries through a study to be completed in 2022; propose comprehensive programs for K-12, university, and tech-voc programs that close these gaps in partnership with the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); Project Benchmark: the UK Design Industries Talent Gap Analysis

10. ASEAN Creative Education: Work with private and public universities to create courses and programs that will attract international students from the ASEAN region; launch pilot online programs by 2023.

These strategic directions were formulated pre-pandemic and will require some significant updating. I call upon the stakeholders of the Creative Economy of the Philippines to send me their reactions, updated information, and other policy recommendations that can be compiled by the CECP so that the new administration that will be in place on July 1 can hit the ground running in working towards the vision of making the Philippines the Number One Creative Economy in the ASEAN. There is no doubt that we have the human talent. What we need is the political will of the Government to give its full support to the private sector to make things happen.

 

Bernardo M. Villegas has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard, is professor emeritus at the University of Asia and the Pacific, and a visiting professor at the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. He was a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission.

bernardo.villegas@uap.asia

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