The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) supports the development of the creative entertainment sector so it could achieve P500 million annual revenue in the next two years and P30 billion by 2030.
“The initial target for Cebu is we want to reach 500 million per year and P30 billion by 2030,” CCCI trustee Mario Panganiban said during the launching the Creative Entertainment Week (CEW) on Monday, September 27, 2021. CEW is among the activities of the 2021 Cebu Business Month, an annual event organized by CCCI.
"This can be achieved with the support of the Creative Industries Development bill, the City of Cebu, and the support of our partners Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI), the Creative Content Creators Association of the Philippines (SIKAP), Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), and Film Development Council of the Philippines, Cultural Center of the Philippines, and other government agencies" Panganiban added.
“We have witnessed innovations through the ingenuity of the Cebuano creatives. Cebu City having been designated as a world-class ‘Creative City’ by UNESCO is a testament to this,” said CCCI president Felix Taguiam in his opening remarks.
According to Taguiam, Cebuano artists kept their creative juices flowing despite the threats brought by the pandemic.
“Home businesses and startups propelled by creativity thrived. CCCI acknowledges not only the entertaining side of creativity but also its role as a driving force of the economy,” the CCCI president pointed out.
“Creativity is the fuel of innovation that grows out of crisis, and it could be the most relevant skill our workforce needs for our businesses to grow beyond the new normal,” he added.
CBM chair Mike Cubos also noted the role of creativity among Cebuanos.
“Creativity nurtures us. We may come from different backgrounds, but I believe all of us cannot imagine a life without creative arts, be it in the form of music, film, animation, or games,” said Cubos, who is also the CCCI vice president for Cebu business mobilization.
During the pandemic, many found comfort in art, he said. “We’ve witnessed the rise of many Cebuanos getting creative in their kitchens and eventually turning their creations into viable businesses that continue to prosper today.”
“We envision the CEW to function as a hub for our creatives to engage with other artists and business leaders in order to open global opportunities,” Cubos said.
Creative Industry chairperson Marie Ernestine Denise Fajatin explained that CEW is born out of the need to build a proactive ecosystem for Cebuano talents in different fields particularly in Animation, Games, Original Content, Komiks, Film, Music & Theatre.
“Despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, we’ve witnessed how the creative sector navigated its path to development and rise above adversities,” Fajatin said.
She then stressed the importance of the need to develop a sustainable creative community to enable creativity to reach its peak.
“This week is a chance for us to map our efforts in presenting Cebu’s Creative Entertainment Industry as a new opportunity for societal and economic development,” Fajatin said.
CCCI Immediate Past President Virgilio Espeleta explained that the CEW is an exceptional example of collaboration and cooperation. The business community, the government, as well as private sectors and organizations can work as one under one goal to support our artisans, he said.
“I believe that CEW will pave the way for us to perceive shared challenges within the creative sectors, and to ponder on the best strategies that we can adopt in proactively finding support, programs, and interventions for our artists,” Espeleta said.
Meanwhile, Panganiban noted that Cebu could become a creative entertainment hub next to Manila because it has long been noted for its creativity.
“Creativity is in the DNA of Cebuanos. We are naturally creative. We like to entertain. We like to perform,” Panganiban said. He noted that Cebu had a vibrant creative entertainment subsector, including radio dramas, Visayan-language movies, and music, among others.
As an example, he cited the holding of the Cebu Pop Music Festival, which had generated original Visayan songs.
Panganiban recalled that Cebu had been making films in the 1960s. In addition, he said, Cebu also had published comics in the local language.
“When we really look at the global figure, even Manila, we’re getting to be behind in a field where we have a natural advantage,” Panganiban pointed out.
"While the global value of animation is $270 billion, the Philippines only accounts for between $20 million to $30 million in revenues as of 2020", ACPI president Juan Miguel Del Rosario disclosed.
The country’s animation industry has registered 5.5 percent growth per year, with five major studios supplying 75 percent of the country's total revenues, Del Rosario said. The Philippines service Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, United States, and Canada.
He noted that there are existing creative businesses in Cebu that are very successful and global, adding that ACPI wants to make Cebu a major provider of animation in the Philippines.
“Our hope is ultimately that by 2030 the Philippines will be a premier destination of animation in Southeast Asia,” Del Rosario said.
On the other hand, Panganiban recalled that the creative sector achieved version 1.0 during the 50s, 70s and 80s and the chamber will be promoting version 2.0.
The annual Cebu Pop Music Festival that started in 1981 had produced many popular Visayan songs. There were also Visayan language drama series aired over the radio, a popular entertainment at the time, and comics.
Panganiban also noted that Cebu and other areas in the Visayas and Mindanao had a very prolific comics industry.
“After realizing that we are behind and we have big potential, we have to push (creative entertainment sector) and that’s the reason why we have the Creative Entertainment Week,” he added.
James Lo, president of Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), discussed the state of the country's game industry.
“We (Philippine game companies) have been involved in the creation of high-quality games,” Lo said.
“If you’re familiar with Playstation or the Xbox or the Nintendo Switch, and so on. These are what we call consoles. We call them the category of Triple-A and basically the best of the best. I proudly announce that a lot of our game companies that are focused on animation and game assets, they actually provide all of these,” he added.
“So, a number of games that you play on the different consoles, some of those games are actually the art assets, the environment, maps, the characters, the animations, effects are actually done here in the Philippines,” Lo said.
In 2020, the global games market reached $86.3 billion for Mobile Devices and P37.4 billion for personal computers, Lo said. Of this amount, Asia Pacific share is at $74.8 billion while Filipinos spending on games reached $572 million.
“There are many, many opportunities (in the game industry). I am happy to sit down with you and talk about all these opportunities,” Lo said.
Speaking during the CEW launching, Acting Mayor Michael Rama noted that the creative entertainment industry has transformed from a purely spectator industry to an interactive and collaborative one.
“Our younger generation has transformed from mere audiences to content producers,” he pointed out.
“One particular challenge is separation from mediocrity. We don’t want mediocrity to prevail. We want to see excellence. Mediocrity should never be what we would be content with. Otherwise, mediocrity would lead to inferiority. And lastly, (it) will never bring us to liberation from this pandemic,” Rama stressed.
The ongoing CEW features the country’s industry leaders as well as international experts. The week-long event will focus on several topics such as Theatre Music and Film (October 1); Video Game Industry (October 4), Animation (October 5), Komiks (October 6); Original Content (October 7); Government & Schools Support (October 8); and Investors Primer (October 9).
Except for the Investor's Primer, all the sessions will be aired live on the CBM 2021 Facebook page.
Experts will also discuss International Industry standards, and investment opportunities for anyone interested to enter the entertainment business, trends, and new opportunities that Cebu can participate in, and many more.
The CEW is in partnership with the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI), Cebu Creative Hub, Creative Content Creators Association of the Philippines (SIKAP) and the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP).
Omnibus Platinum Sponsors are the following: Cebu Pacific Air, Converge ICT Solutions Inc., PLDT Enterprise and RideHero.
Omnibus Gold Sponsors include Eastern Communications, Qualfon Philippines and Vivant Energy Corporation.
Omnibus Silver Sponsors are Ayala Land Inc., Cebu Holdings Inc., Lazada Philippines, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. and Security Bank Corporation.
The Event Sponsors are Payoneer Philippines Branch, Inc., Wacom Philippines, Allego Media, Emottoons Animation Studio, IIFBA (International Institute Film and Broadcast Arts), Lilu Advertising & Marketing Solutions and Marie Ernestine School.
Special thanks to RMA News as the Media Partner.
For more information, visit the CBM Facebook page or email jovito@cebuchamber.org.
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