President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday emphasized the crucial role of the creative industries in fostering national identity and economic growth, urging collaboration and innovation to elevate their global standing.

Speaking at Art X Design: A Special Reception of the 50 Years of Philippine Design and Beyond Exhibition at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila, Marcos highlighted the significant contributions of the sector to the country’s economy, citing research by the Design Center of the Philippines and the British Council.

The study revealed the Philippine design economy generated nearly P3 trillion in revenues and contributed P1.2 trillion in gross value added in 2020. This translated to over 700,000 jobs, accounting for almost two percent of the country’s total employment.

“These initiatives aimed to amplify the economic and cultural significance of the creative sector, empowering Filipino designers to flourish further on their graph and to shine internationally,” the President said.

“Through collaboration, ingenuity, and innovation, we can cultivate a vibrant, creative industry that embodies our heritage, our values, our unique identity, our traditions, and our history,” he added.

He emphasized the government’s commitment to strengthening the industry through forward-thinking policies like the Philippine Design Competitiveness Act and the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act of 2022. These initiatives aim to promote innovation, support intrapreneurship, and protect intellectual property.

Beyond economic benefits, Marcos underscored the cultural importance of design and creativity.

“These designs and these creatives are helping to shape our culture. The culture is the shared consciousness of a nation. It defines and answers the question, ‘What is it to be a Filipino?” the President said.

“That is why this is more important than just the big numbers they bring to our country. They are creatives and the definition of our culture is the unifying, single most important unifying force for a nation to come together,” he said.

The President urged collaboration, ingenuity, and innovation to cultivate a vibrant creative industry that embodies the nation’s heritage, values, and identity. He encouraged stakeholders to “exhibit our country’s creativity and excellence on the global stage.”

“You cannot unify a nation if you do not have a common identity, if you do not have a shared consciousness, and our creatives are defining that,” Marcos said.

The launch of Art X Design in observance of National Arts Month is also part of the year-long celebration marking the golden jubilee of the Design Center of the Philippines.

The event was also extra special to him, Marcos said, recalling that his mother, former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, envisioned in the 1970s a future for a brilliant design industry.

He said his mother’s vision came to fruition in 1973 with the establishment of the Design Center, which laid the groundwork for Filipino creativity to dazzle on the global stage.

In his speech, Marcos shared nostalgic memories of spending time with his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., in the old Senate session hall, now part of the National Museum complex.