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 the Art X Design: A Special Reception Of The 50 Years Of Philippine Design and Beyond Exhibition, Marcos Jr. 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 translates to over 700,000 jobs, accounting for almost 2 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," Marcos Jr. 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," Marcos Jr. 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 Jr. 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?'," Marcos 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 single most important unifying force for a nation to come together," Marcos said.

The President concluded by urging 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 that is being defined by our creatives," Marcos Jr. said.