MANILA, JULY 22, 2013 – The Philippine Design Competitiveness Act has been passed in record time some two years after it was tabled, with the creative industry hailing the passage as a first step in turning design into a strong economic sector.
Former Senators Teofisto Guingona III and Manny Villar had backed the bill’s passage in 2011 with the aim of spurring development of the local design industries and the promotion local design capabilities overseas to create employment opportunities at home.
The Act proposes establishing a Design Council, which will comprise six members from organized design associations within the private sector.
Five of the six design sub-sectors such as fashion, architecture and product design have their associations in place to gain immediate representation. Graphic design sector, as a younger discipline, ironically does not have its association in place though this sector – through Team Manila creative director and co-founder Jowie Alviar – had been a primary mover of the bill.
Alviar said graphic designers have been meeting to get themselves organized in order to gain representation on the council. Some 13 people from different sub-sectors like programming, animation, freelance, small design studios, even bigger corporations they were there after we had a call-out in the internet attended one of the preliminary meetings.
“We have the numbers; now is good time for us to form the association.”
Alviar is keen to see his sector replicate the success the product design industry enjoyed in the 80s and 90s. “The product designers had a lot of support from DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) and that’s why the sector was successful,” he said.
“I think we can replicate that with the pool of talent like illustrators, motion graphics and graphic designers we have here with government support.”
ACTING ON THE ACT
Objectives and set-up
The Design Act seeks to enhance the competitiveness and innovation of Philippine products, while creating market-responsive design services. It is part of the government’s plan to develop an economy and society driven by design and creativity, while concurrently advocating the protection of intellectual property rights to these ideas and innovations.
This will be done through creation of long-range direction and strategy for the design industry; promoting national awareness on the use of design as a strategic tool for economic competitiveness; integrating design into other industries and aspects of society in order to create a demand for good design, and to extend its impact economically, socially and environmentally; and incorporating design as a priority component in national planning and development.
Accordingly it has called for the Product Development and Design Center to be re-engineered and renamed Design Center of the Philippines, which will serve as a hub for education, set up design exhibitions, promote and protect Philippine design overseas among other avenues.
DESIGN DIVIDENDS
Viewpoints
“If we do not adopt this response today, we stand to lose the vast opportunities for the kind of tomorrow we all aspire for.”
Former Senator TG Guingona
“It is good that the government recognizes design as an industry… design in a growing industry should be relevant, sustainable and global.”
John Ed De Vera, TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno
