PEACE-MAKER

As a father and a retired politician, we are gratified that our son, Pangasinan fourth district congressman Christopher de Venecia, has taken up causes that are closest to his heart – arts, culture, and the creative industries. He recently launched in our district an arts festival, called Galila, which means “come and visit.” He explained that the Galila Arts Festival is a celebration of the flourishing creative community in our legislative district and will also serve as a venue for local creatives to learn and share their skills and collaborate with other creatives from other regions in the Philippines. The arts festival will run from March 10 to 19 and will feature live painting competitions, public art activations, performances, film screenings, workshops, and creative exchanges. The Galila Arts Festival is a follow through to his earlier successful arts program, the Anakbanwa Creative Residency, which he launched in 2021 “to provide a venue for creatives to immerse themselves in the different communities, experience cultural heritage, and learn from diverse practices in the fourth district of Pangasinan.” Congressman Christopher, who serves as chairman of the special committee on creative industry and the performing arts in the House of Representatives, is the principal author of the landmark Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, which became law last year. The law mandates government support for the promotion and development of Philippine creatives by protecting and strengthening the rights and capacities of creative firms, artists, artisans, creators, workers, indigenous cultural communities, content providers, and other stakeholders in the creative industries through scholarships, digital support, infrastructure, incentives, marketing support, and other value chain interventions. It will also enhance the global competitiveness of local creatives to make our creative goods and services, and our Filipino intellectual property more attractive to the international market. The creative industries contribute around eight percent to the Philippine economy, employ some five million workers, and generate exports accounting for 12 percent of our country’s total exports. In the ASEAN region, the Philippines is the top exporter of creative services and number five in terms of the export of creative goods. \*\*\* The ICAPP Business Council, an affiliated body of the 350-strong International Conference of Asian Political Parties, will hold its inaugural meeting in Busan, South Korea from April 30 to May 2, 2023 under the main topic of “Opportunities and Challenges of Asian Business in the Era of Climate Crisis.” The ICAPP Business Council was established to facilitate business and commercial cooperation in the Asian region through increased networking between the political parties and business communities. It also seeks to contribute to the recovery of micro, small, and medium enterprises from the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The creation of the Council underscores the crucial roles of political parties in the fields of business promotion and economic development.