The 4As Creative Guild of the Philippines has named its 2026 Board of Directors, with Third Domingo, Chairman of IdeasXMachina Hakuhodo and APAC Chief Creative Officer of Hakuhodo International, as President, and Tin Sanchez, Executive Creative Director of Publicis Manila, as Vice President. Together, the new leadership takes a clear position: Filipino creativity must remain human-led, culturally rooted, and boldly proactive in an age increasingly shaped by AI.
At the heart of the Guild’s direction for 2026 is UNPROMPTED_, a theme that serves not just as a festival banner, but as a creative philosophy. It is a call for Filipino creatives to move first, without waiting to be asked, told, or cornered by circumstance; to embrace new tools without losing their soul; and to keep making work that feels hand-written, emotionally true, and unmistakably Filipino.
“UNPROMPTED_ is more than this year’s theme. It is our operating stance. We believe human creativity still shapes the world more than AI does, because people imagine what does not yet exist, then make it real. Our job is to move first, master new tools without surrendering our soul, and make work that remains brave, specific, and deeply Filipino,” Domingo said.
“UNPROMPTED_ is more than this year’s theme. It is our operating stance. We believe human creativity still shapes the world more than AI does, because people imagine what does not yet exist, then make it real. Our job is to move first, master new tools without surrendering our soul, and make work that remains brave, specific, and deeply Filipino.”
-Third Domingo, 4As Creative Guild of the Philippines President
For Domingo, inclusiveness was a defining principle in assembling the new board. The aim was to build a Guild that reflects the breadth of the 4As itself, with leaders from network and independent agencies, across generations, disciplines, and creative temperaments. It is a board designed not as a ceremonial circle of organizers, but as a working body that stands for something and is ready to fight and advocate for the creative economy.
That spirit is reinforced by the stature of the people around the table. Domingo now leads creative across Hakuhodo’s Asia-Pacific network, after building IdeasXMachina into an agency recognized in Campaign Asia’s Agency of the Year awards and being named to Campaign Asia-Pacific’s 40 Under 40. Sanchez, meanwhile, brings deep international experience across Manila and six other markets, and was part of the creative teams behind the Philippines’ first Cannes Bronze Lion and first Cannes Gold Lion.
The wider board adds even more creative muscle. Maan Bautista of VML Manila is one of the country’s most awarded creative leaders and was inducted into the Creative Guild Hall of Fame in 2024. Anna Chua-Norbert of DDB Group Philippines became the first Filipina to receive the Women Leading Change “Vision Leader” honor, after earlier becoming the Philippines’ first “Diversity Champion.” Andi Olbes of BBDO Guerrero is a former Cannes Young Lion and Young Spikes representative whose work has helped shape campaigns for brands such as the Department of Tourism, MARS, and PepsiCo. Marcel Lacap of Octopus&Whale, who co-led the Philippines’ Cannes Young Lions search, is a former Philippine representative to Cannes Young Lions, the youngest member of the 2024 Kidlat jury, and a proudly self-described Kapampangan “promdi” creative.
Other directors deepen that mix of accomplishment and range. Peter Acuña serves as Executive Creative Director of HBCI Group and was tapped as a juror for the 2025 Kidlat Awards. Arri Veloso of TBWA\SMP received the 27th AOY NextGen Creative Award and has also mentored young talent through Digital Young Creators. Rina dela Calzada is a Founding Partner and Deputy ECD of Seven A.D., an independent agency with notable AOY wins. Shackie Caccam has been recognized among AOY’s NextGen Creatives and has also mentored developing talent.
Meanwhile, Jordan Santos of Publicis JimenezBasic is helping shape DigiCon 2026 as track lead for Integrated. Shine Avecilla-Riofrio leads client services and accounts at IdeasXMachina’s flagship agency. And Roman Olivarez, ECD at the Treyna Group, is leading a new training concept, the Old Skull, alongside the Raw School for young creatives, to inspire the future leaders in the industry via a retreat-type of masterclass for CDs, Strat & Accounts Directors, and even clients.
Rounding out the Board are some of the top rising young creative leaders and stars in the creative scene: ECD Issel Jayme from The HuddleRoom, CD Gaudy Danao from Perkcomm, and Nikko Borromeo from Dentsu Creative Philippines.
For 2026, the Guild’s work is organized around three pillars of focus: the well-being of advertising creatives first and foremost, across physical, emotional, mental, and financial health; stronger camaraderie, fellowship, and collective identity within the industry; and better training for quality, competitive, award-worthy work in the age of AI. Taken together, these serve a larger ambition: a thriving advertising creative community that sees creatives not merely as workers, but as flourishing and essential members of Philippine society.
The Guild’s broader goals are equally clear. It intends to define and elevate the Creative Guild as a real body with real membership and real purpose, restore the election of the Creative Guild Board, activate a public-facing Facebook presence for regular access and information, and re-establish the Kidlat Awards as the country’s premier creative awards show.
A major part of that future-facing agenda is succession. Through Young Kidlat and Student AdCongress, the Guild intends to discover and grow the next generation of creatives not only from Metro Manila but from the provinces, creating more room for promdi creatives to enter the industry, sharpen their craft, and eventually lead it. In many ways, that objective is already reflected in the people involved. Lacap himself has written openly about being a “competitive promdi,” bringing that perspective into national creative spaces.
That same inclusive mindset has already begun shaping the Guild’s competition programs. This year’s Cannes Young Lions Philippines, held at Museo Pambata, expanded eligibility beyond traditional ad agencies to include young professionals in media, production, digital, publishing, brand marketing, graphics, film, and other creative industries. It also fielded the largest shortlisting jury in the competition’s history, while the local competition itself drew its biggest pool yet, with 65 teams.
Despite the reality that many of the board members lead companies, teams, and disciplines in a difficult economic climate, the Guild says it is serious about making things happen for the industry. Among the options now being explored is an all-online Kidlat Creative Festival (but a hybrid and live Kidlat Awards Night), a more accessible and cost-conscious format that could reduce expenses and lessen sponsor pressure while still preserving the substance of the experience.
“We know the pressures are real, from tighter budgets to a harder sponsorship fatigue. But this board did not come together to decorate titles. We came together to do the work, care for our people, and keep building platforms where Filipino creativity can flourish. The answer to AI is not less human creativity — it’s more,” said Sanchez.
“We know the pressures are real, from tighter budgets to a harder sponsorship fatigue. But this board did not come together to decorate titles. We came together to do the work, care for our people, and keep building platforms where Filipino creativity can flourish. The answer to AI is not less human creativity — it’s more.”
Tin Sanchez, 4As Creative Guild of the Philippines Vice President
That optimism is not abstract. Internally, the group’s Viber thread is named “The More Creative Guild,” a fitting shorthand for what this board believes: that even with AI, and sometimes because of the challenge AI presents, human creativity can still expand, adapt, and thrive… more so with AI’s help.
Set for June 11 2026, the Kidlat Creative Festival is expected to become the live expression of this philosophy. Under the banner of UNPROMPTED_, the new 4As Creative Guild of the Philippines is staking out a future in which Filipino creatives lead, not follow; invent, not imitate; and keep proving, before the brief, before the trend, and before the prompt, that creatives create.
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