The Filipino creative

The Philippines should grab the opportunity to penetrate the global creative entertainment market.

According to Magoo del Mundo, president of the SIKAP-Creative Content Creators Association of the Philippines, the country has the capacity to become a creative producing hub in Asia.

“We want to establish the Philippines as a true creative producing hub in Asia. We have that capacity,” he says. “We have that opportunity. The time is now. The window of the world is looking at us (Southeast Asia, including the Philippines) but that window won’t be there forever.”

SIKAP is an association specifically for copyright owners/holders, whether individuals or studios, not only in Manila but also in the Visayas and in Mindanao, who create original content with the vision of global consumption in the creative sectors of animation, games, music, comics, and character.

“Let’s co-create a sustainable industry for the Filipino creators like you and me,” adds del Mundo.

Del Mundo was among the speakers in the Original Content Forum during the Cebu Creative Entertainment Week (CEW) observance in mid-October as part of the Cebu Business Month.

He noted that the country had a lot of folklore and stories that could be translated into different mediums of narrative.

“Our stories and narratives are breaking into a global audience,” del Mundo said. “We are looking at a very big industry that is untapped in the Philippines. We have the foot in the door, we’re not just getting through.”

Marla Rausch, founder and chief executive officer of Animation Vertigo Asia and the managing partner of Kampilan Productions, also stresses the importance of creating content showcasing Philippine culture.

“The Philippines has been part of the creative supply chain for decades but our development of our own content has not grown as fast—and we have a lot of unique stories that the world is waiting for,” she says. (PNA)