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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider DTI eyes ₱2-billion loan facility to boost creative industry

DTI eyes ₱2-billion loan facility to boost creative industry

Published Feb 9, 2026 12:00 am  |  Updated Feb 7, 2026 03:05 pm
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is exploring a loan program of up to ₱2 billion to expand the economic contributions of the creative sector.
Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said they are studying the launch of a loan program for creatives this year to position the emerging industry as a major contributor to trade and tourism figures.
Roque said the program will be under the DTI’s financing arm, Small Business (SB) Corp., with available funding of between ₱1 billion and ₱2 billion.
“We feel that that's the strength of the Philippines. In the arts, singing, dancing, and music, as well as digital design and animation,” she said in a chance interview last week.
While there are already several loan facilities available to creative entrepreneurs under SB Corp., particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Roque said this new program will specifically help the creative sector access the tools needed to showcase their talents and products.
Case in point, she said, creatives could tap the loan facility to finance equipment integral to their work, such as animators who may need high-powered computers to produce competitive projects.
“So we need to push for that, we feel the sector will be a driver for trade and tourism,” said Roque, citing the case of South Korea’s creative sector, which has turned K-pop and K-dramas into global exports worth billions and a magnet for tourism.
The value of the Philippines’ creative economy reached ₱1.94 trillion in 2024, climbing by nearly nine percent from ₱1.78 trillion in 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
The potential loan program for creatives comes after the DTI doubled the funding for SB Corp.’s Women’s Enterprise Fund (WEF) to ₱2 billion this year.
Under the WEF, the DTI aims to provide women with the capital to start and expand their businesses, ultimately increasing their profits while also growing their economic impact.
Women-owned and women-led MSMEs may avail of loans ranging from ₱30,000 to ₱20 million.
The loans will have a one-year grace period on both principal and interest, with flexible repayment terms of up to five years.
“Sixty-two percent of the labor force is already women, and we encourage them to also get into business,” said Roque.
The DTI earlier estimated that SB Corp. provided financial assistance to more than 60,000 MSMEs last year, releasing around ₱12 billion in loans.
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