Speaker Lord Allan Velasco lauded his colleagues for the third reading approval on Monday, Sept. 20 of House Bill No. 10107 or the proposed Philippine Creative Industries Development Act.
Velasco said HB 10107 is “one of the measures we have identified that will help the country bounce back from the economic woes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“This landmark legislation aims to organize and institutionalize the Philippine creative economy in order to provide opportunities to workers in one of the sectors hit hardest by the current health crisis,” he stressed.
Authored by Negros Occidental Rep. Carlos O. Cojuangco, HB 10107 was sponsored on the floor by Pangasinan Rep. Christopher De Venecia, chairman of the House Special Committee on Creative Industry.
The bill seeks to establish “financial-enabling mechanisms for the creative industries, nurture the industry’s human resources, create employment and provide incentives to encourage and sustain entrepreneurship and the arts” Velasco said the bill was passed amid the continued devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that after one and a half years into the ;pandemic, cinemas, theaters and museums remain closed while musical concerts and art festivals are still not allowed.
“ In its 2020 labor market report, the International Labour Organization identified the arts, entertainment and recreation sector in the country as a “high-risk sector” or those industries that are least likely to remain operative due to mobility restrictions or are experiencing a decline in demand due to the pandemic,” he explained.
With the passage of HB 10107, recovery in the creative industries will not only be the main goal. The measure will also help accelerate economic growth of the industry.
Under the bill, the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council will be created to ensure the development of the sector that has the potential to drive sustainable development and create inclusive job opportunities.
A Creative Industry Development Fund will also be established to finance research and development, trade promotion, human resources development and welfare of stake holders.
The bill also proposes the creation of a One-Stop Registration Center to assist creative industry micro, small and medium scale enterprises in availling of government services.
“With this bill—together with the innate and natural talent of our people—we foresee the Philippine creative industries being at par with, if not exceeding, the world’s pool of talents in the coming years,” said Velasco.