The trillion-peso question

Milk Chocolate Adobo may seem like the height of weird for some people, but Theo & Philo, the homegrown chocolate brand that won a silver for this flavor in 2018, would certainly beg to differ.

The recent Asean Creative Industries Expo held at SMX Aura held more surprises of this sort — conversation pieces like a round stool inspired by crayons, Filipino embroidery and piña showing up in contemporary designs, artisan-focused scents for home and body, and much more.

The event highlighted nine major creative sectors under the Malikhaing Pinoy Program, the Department of Trade and Industry’s flagship initiative designed to uplift Filipino creativity and grow the country’s creative economy.

For years, creativity in the Philippines was often treated as something to celebrate rather than something to build an economy around. But the numbers tell a different story: Filipino creativity is already a massive economic engine. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the creative economy accounted for a substantial 7.6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025, contributing a staggering P2.12 trillion.

Clearly, the narrative is shifting. With the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (RA 11904) now in place, alongside a national development plan and a growing push to connect Filipino creative enterprises with global markets, the government is finally attempting to treat the country’s considerable talent as a critical economic sector.

It goes beyond film, music and fashion to include all nine creative industry domains and the vital ecosystem around them: intellectual property, financing, skills, digital infrastructure, market access, exports and MSMEs.

The journey has been long. As far back as 2012, the DTI and the Board of Investments were already examining creative industries. The effort became more explicit under the Duterte administration, with the DTI aiming in 2019 to make the Philippines the top creative economy in ASEAN by 2030.

By July 2022, RA 11904 became law, establishing measurable economic targets, financing mechanisms and intellectual property protections.

By the time the Marcos Jr. administration stepped in, the framework was there. The recent June 2026 National Diagnostic Report by the DTI, PSA and the World Intellectual Property Organization confirmed that while our creative sector is globally competitive, it desperately needs stronger Filipino-owned IP and commercialization.

This brings us to the crux of the matter. The creative economy is already huge, but are the conditions on the ground truly enough for it to flourish?

What, practically, changes for the Filipino illustrator, designer, filmmaker, game developer, craft maker, musician or food entrepreneur? Can they actually access financing without jumping through impossible hoops? Can they easily protect their intellectual property? Can they sell outside the Philippines? Can a small creative enterprise scale up? Most importantly, can a Filipino creative make a living without having to leave the country?

Filipinos undeniably have the creative talent, and the multi-trillion-peso numbers prove the economic viability is there. The challenge now is whether the current administration — and those that follow — can move beyond grand frameworks to ensure that the everyday business climate actually allows this talent to thrive.

So, the question is: Can the Filipino creative actually flourish?