Cebu looking to develop creative sector

THE Cebu City government is seeking P10 billion in investments to develop the Cebu Creative District through schemes like public-private partnerships (PPPs)."It can be PPP, and they can lease our property, whatever it is, and then hopefully they can sustain their investment as a result of doing some infrastructure in the creative district," Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said in an interview with reporters on Friday.The initiative aims to attract more capital, boost creative industry development in the city, create a more investor-friendly environment and stimulate local economic growth."As of the moment, we just have the property, but [the creative district is] not something that is impossible," he added.The creative district project will also address the need for closeness to academic life and other creative and working people.For her part, architect Ann Marie Cuizon of the City Planning and Development Office said the relocation of residents to give way to the project was not necessary."We just want to also present potentials for them and how they can actually support creative industries ... part of the vision is there would also be residential uses in the area," Cuizon said.She also identified some industries that could be part of the creative district, such as filmmaking, entertainment, cultural arts, design and architecture. Cuizon noted that Cebu already had many of these, including the fashion sector."However, it seems fragmented right now. There's no place where they can really be together as one. So we're seeing this as a potential area for further growth," she added.In line with this, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is implementing the Lunsod Lunsad Program, offering strategic assistance and financial backing to cities striving to establish themselves as dynamic creative centers.The program aims to empower local governments and stakeholders through collaboration, capacity-building, and funding access, enabling them to tap into their communities' creative potential.The department also said that the Philippines was on track to becoming Asia's premier creative hub following approval of the framework for the Philippine Creative Industries Development Plan (PCIDP) in February.The PCIDP serves as the strategic roadmap guiding objectives set by the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act and will serve as the country's strategic framework that sets forth its goals, targets, and strategies to achieve its vision of becoming Asia's Premier Creative Hub by 2030.