By Elijah Felice Rosales, December 31, 2019; Business Mirror
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/12/31/pids-study-urges-government-to-develop-creative-industries/
Image Credit to NEDA Website
The state’s think tank is calling on government executives to develop the creative industries, saying the sector could potentially contribute to the country’s economic growth.
In a recent public seminar on digital trade, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow Ramonette B. Serafica said the government should develop an export strategy to strengthen the creative economy. She argued that the promotion of such sector would be in line with the objectives of the government’s development plan.
“This would be in line with the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, which seeks to promote creative industries that cover both tangible goods and intangible services,” Serafica said in the seminar.
Serafica added that the government should promote copyright- based industries, specifically the core CBIs whose outputs can be digitally delivered through the Internet.
Core CBIs are divided into nine groups, namely, press and literature; music, theatrical productions, operas; motion picture and video; radio and television; photography; software and databases; visual and graphic art; advertising services; and copyright collective management services.
Citing a 2014 study, Serafica said the country’s core CBIs contributed 5.11 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and 8.83 percent of total employment in 2010. In terms of trade, exports of core CBIs grew to $21 million in 2012, a 133-percent increase from 2010 when shipments reached $9 million.
As reported by World Intellectual Property Organization in 2005, CBIs linked to the digital revolution have grown faster than the traditional sectors of the economy.
However, Serafica cautioned against cases of copyright infringements related to the activities and operations of core CBIs. As such, she suggested the implementation of strict monitoring by authorities to avoid copyright breaches.
Serafica also called on the Philippine Statistics Authority to regularly provide specific information and statistics to both public and private sectors about the creative economy, given its potential to enhance employment and economic outputs.
Further, Serafica said the government should look more closely at the opportunities for supporting CBIs, considering the risks that the Fourth Industrial Revolution may have on employment.