The Dumaguete Literary Festival, now on its second edition, is more than just a celebration of literature—it is an evidence of the growing strength of our creative economy.
Even outside my role as program manager for creative industry development for the Department of Trade & Industry-Negros Oriental, the creatives and the arts holds a special place in heart.
In my early childhood years, I learned to draw from one of the drawing workshops of Village Bookstore, which then was taught by Susan Canoy of the Art Works Shop. In my elementary years, I took an interest in writing, joining the journalism team of St. Louis School-Don Bosco in various journalism meets.
But just because I finished my sample article first, and proceeded to draw caricatures expressing my article, I was (unwillingly at first) moved to editorial cartooning. That was how I best communicated, visually.
When I was in college, I earned from taking pictures of events—first birthday celebrations; but I was really drawn to capturing places as they appeared through time. I did not really sharpen my skill much because I was afraid to do it full time.
So I eventually got a job at DTI, but the paths that I took were not an accident, and I later found purpose in it now that I am with DTI. Because when I joined DTI, I found that it was actually possible to earn from this creative life.
Now we learn that the Philippine creative economy is valued at ₱1.94 trillion, contributing 7.3 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product —not far behind agriculture which stands at nine percent.
To those unfamiliar, GDP is calculated through two main approaches: the expenditure approach, which adds up all spending on final goods and services, including consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports; and the income approach, which sums up all incomes earned in the economy, such as wages, profits, rents, and taxes minus subsidies.
Even when the pandemic shook industries worldwide, the creative economy remained resilient. In 2019, it contributed ₱1.47 trillion, slightly decreasing to ₱1.34 trillion in 2020, a small dip compared to other sectors.
Today, it employs 7.5 million Filipinos—15 percent of the entire workforce—compared to agriculture’s 20 percent.
We benchmark it against agriculture because both industries, though different in nature, are foundational to our country’s progress, and also because we are an agricultural country: many of our industries are founded in agriculture—coffee, cacao, coconut, bamboo, furniture, processed fruits and nuts.
In Dumaguete, we see the impact of the creative economy firsthand. The presence of the Dumaguete City Arts Council, and the Dumaguete City Heritage Council; organizations like Arts & Design Collective Dumaguete; businesses such as Beetzee (an enabler for music and film), and Pinspired (a collaborator and product designer for anything visual); and all the universities here contribute to an ecosystem that nurtures creativity.
This is the very reason we are bidding for Dumaguete to be recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature because we are, without a doubt, a City of Stories.
These stories are not just those written in books, they are integrated and woven into our songs, our films, our poetry, our products, and our culture.
And while we work towards that official designation, we know that we are succeeding. Every initiative, every collaboration, and every festival like this one is proof of our steady growth.
The Duma LitFest is an opportunity for creatives to come together, to be inspired, and to carve out new opportunities for creative industry players.
Beyond literature, we are also pushing for the development of other creative industries, including film. We are currently working to secure a grant for filmmaking equipment, a step that will not only elevate our local productions but also generate more jobs for creative professionals like scriptwriters, actors, videographers, and storyboarders.
At the heart of all these efforts is a simple yet powerful goal: to help creative industry players generate income, for firms to create more jobs, and to build an economy where people can freely express their creativity—and earn from it.
The creative economy is not just about art. It is about livelihood. It is about progress. And it is about making sure that the stories we tell today shape the future we want to see.
The reason we support this, and why we lobby for these designations is simple: we believe that if you have the talent and the grit to sharpen it, you can earn from it.
We want creatives to no longer need to be afraid of taking the leap, and of using their passion as the main source of income. That is why we are funding initiatives such as the Dumaguete Literary Festival.
Our hope is that this festival continues to become a platform where we can be inspired, and where everyone can find opportunities for themselves. (Anton Gabila)
__________________________
Anton Gabila is a senior Trade-Industry Development specialist at the Department of Trade & Industry-Negros Oriental.
