QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011: Proponents of the Design Council of the Philippines have started consulting various sectors, industry experts, and even the academe regarding their calls for establishing  an organization that will guild local designers with the help of the government. Among the most recent activities staged for this purpose was a forum with students and faculty of the University of the Philippines – an event that paved way for more ideas – pro and con – regarding the formation of the said body.

Panelists at the National Design Council Forum in UP Diliman

Design Council of the Philippines proponents Brian Tenorio, Amina Aranaz, and Jowee Alviar introduced the government-assisted initiative that was recently filed as Senate Bill 2930 by Senator TG Guingona.  The trio talked about how organizing a design council can help aspiring designers break out of their shell, and really harness their talents to their fullest potential.

“With design, we can make use of the funds, the talents that we have, in creating a better system that empowers society,” shared Tenorio. Aranaz echoed the same sentiments, especially when it came to the modista mindset that she has observed in her students at the School of Fashion and the Arts. “Where do our graduates go? There is more to the fashion industry than the modista  kind of thing where you join as many fashion shows as you can, in hopes of dressing up some famous women,” said the renowned bag designer.

While the panel agreed that there is indeed a need for designers to guild themselves, more than a few were pessimistic about government's participation – or worse, intervention. “It's either God or the Devil that you'll find in the details, and the details will determine the outcome. That's why we need to clarify the limits of where government steps in with this council,”warned panelist Dan Silvestre of the firm DA Silvestre and Associates. He also cauioned that too much government intervention can trap artists in a box.

Publicis Manila's Marlon Rivera, who was also part of the panel, also called for the proponents to disambiguate the words used in Senate Bill 2930, in order to be more exacting, and at the same time, appealing to the younger generations. “In ten years we (referring to his colleagues) will be a little older, and they (students) will carry this out. That's why it has to appeal to them right from the start,” he said. Rashmi Tolentino Singh of the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, noted that furniture designers and their suppliers should be specifically included in the bill, if only for the size of the industry. She noted that the furniture sector employs around 60million Filipinos from grasspickers, all the way up to the retailers that sell the end goods.

In line with this, panelist Maja Olivares Co of Sonia Olivares and Associates also suggested that the group push through with forming a guild, and then operate it with private funds from well-off and concerned donors. She cited the PHP 75M Paco Market renovation that she undertook with ABS CBN Foundation, stating that the lack of government intervention helped it move faster. Another Panelist, Myrna Sunico of the Design Center of the Philippines also suggested SB 2930 be revised to strengthen already existing organizations that should tackle most – if not all – of the issues the proposed design council will have to face.

Reacting to the various opinions presented, proponent Alviar stressed the need to cultivate a culture that gives value to design from a holistic standpoint. “As individuals, we have already impressed the world with our designs. That's why this time, we need to organize ourselves and move as a nation,” he says.

The UP Forum on the Proposed Design Council of the Philippines was organized by Dean Tina Colayco of the College of Fine Arts.