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The
National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and the Asian
Institute of Management Policy Forum held a conference
recently on “The State of Philippine Competitiveness
2008.”
The 2008
IMD World Competitiveness Report was presented, as well
as the accomplishments and challenges of the NCC. The
Philippines moved up from its ranking of 45 last year to
40 out of 55 economies this year. Although still
trailing behind its Asian neighbors, the improved
standing is a noteworthy achievement.
More
significant, however, is the forum’s focus on the
“creative industries.” Also called the “copyright-based
industries” because their products are protected by
copyright, this category covers the following
industries: films and videos, visual and graphic arts,
media and publications, software, design and other
artistic and literary works.
In some
countries the economic contribution of the
copyright-based or creative industries is
well-recognized, and steps are being taken to foster
their growth. Although the noneconomic value of artistic
and literary works—how they please the senses and
spirit—is impossible to quantify, indicators to measure
their economic contribution have been developed and
applied to some countries.
In the
Unites States, for instance, the creative industries
contribute an estimated 11.12 percent of GDP and employ
about 8.49 percent of the total work force. In
Singapore, it’s 5.70 percent of GDP and 5.80 percent of
employment. In Jamaica, a small developing country, the
figures are 5.10 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively.
The same methodology was applied to the Philippines, and
it was found that the creative or copyright-based
industries contributed about 4.92 percent of GDP and
employed 11.10 percent of the total work force.
For
academics and policymakers, and to a certain extent,
business executives, the figures showed exciting
prospects for Philippine creative industries, if only it
can be tapped to compete in the world’s market.
However,
after the statistics and theoretical frameworks were
presented, it was time to hear from the artists
themselves. Four impressive artists from film,
performance arts, animation and design were in the panel
discussion on “How Creativity Can Add Value to
Philippine Products and Services.”
I can
imagine how odd the question could be for many, if not
most, artists, who have no inclination toward or desire
for entrepreneurial activities. For the serious artist,
the creative process is a means of expression, to bare
his soul, to capture a moment in time and space, to
extol the beauty and expose the maladies of one’s
surroundings, or expound “the unarticulated conscience”
of her race. Economic gain and competitiveness are
rarely what motivates the artist, except for those
already engaged in commerce.
The
discussion gave the audience a glimpse of the “creators”
behind the neat category of “creative industries.” For
the serious film director, exposing the ills of our
society, as Rizal did in his novels, is her motive.
International awards and recognition may follow her work
and may help boost the film industry, but how her
creativity adds value to the film industry is farthest
from her mind. Exposing reality so others may understand
and appreciate the human condition is, for the director,
the inestimable value of her work.
For the
performance artist, our culture visualized through
paintings, dance and theater uplifts the spirit and
makes us proud of our heritage—that is the value. The
same goes for the animator, whose passion is in
producing the first truly Filipino animated film using
creatures from Philippine folklore, as well as the
textile designer inspired by indigenous Filipino art.
Essentially, what our artists from the creative sector
are saying is that the “value added” our academics,
policymakers and entrepreneurs seek to be competitive
lies in the heart and soul of our people, deeply
embedded in our cultural heritage. But we must cultivate
first the intangible wealth from our culture for our own
sustenance, and the material benefits will likely
follow.
Globalization is, indeed, making the world “flat,”
forcing uniformity and conformity across state borders;
but to survive in a competitive market means offering to
the world the fruits of our culture. That’s how
countries like Japan, China and Thailand succeeded from
exporting products to promoting tourism.
Hence,
in our efforts to catch up with the competitive
economies of the world, we must not yield to the
temptation to be more “like them,” and instead strive to
“know ourselves.”
****
The
author is the director general of the Intellectual
Property Office of the Philippines. Comments may be sent
to e-mail address: dg_asc@ipophil.gov.ph. |
