Senator Loren Legarda is celebrating the nation’s Creative Industries Month, highlighting the sector’s significant contribution to the economy and national identity.

Legarda, who co-authored the law that established the annual September observance, cited data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) showing that the creative industries generated P1.94 trillion in value in 2024 and employed 7.51 million Filipinos.

“From culture to commerce, creativity drives the change,” said Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts.

The 2024 figures represent a notable increase from the previous year’s P1.72 trillion in value and 7.26 million jobs. The sector now accounts for 7.3 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Legarda noted the success of last year’s National Arts and Craft Fair (NACF), an event she initiated in partnership with the DTI.

The fair brought together more than 250 exhibitors from across the country to promote and preserve Filipino cultural heritage.

The event, which aims to provide a national and global platform for local artisans and small businesses, featured communities like the Sto. Niño de Plaridel Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Leyte, which creates pandan-based products, and Angie’s Yakan Handloom Weaving from Zamboanga City, a social enterprise that supports the Yakan tribe.

“When we invest in creativity, we also build futures,” Legarda said.

This year’s Creative Industries Month is celebrated with the theme “We Are a Creative Nation.”

The next National Arts and Craft Fair is scheduled for 23 to 29 October 2025, at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.