THE booming creative sector-which employed a staggering 8.71 million Filipinos and generated P2.12 trillion, or 7.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product last year-is poised to become an even stronger engine of national economic growth through a major overhaul of arts education in secondary schools, a lawmaker declared on Tuesday.
Parañaque Rep. Brian Yamsuan highlighted that the country’s creative industries hold immense potential for global expansion. Digital platforms, in particular, allow local creative businesses to tap into international markets with minimal overhead costs while generating vital employment and export revenues for the nation.
To unlock this potential, Yamsuan filed House Bill 7864, a measure designed to strengthen and modernize the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Special Program for the Creative Arts (SPCA). The bill introduces an expanded curriculum covering architecture and allied arts, cinema, design, digital fabrication, and new media. These cutting-edge disciplines will complement existing core subjects in creative writing, visual arts, media arts, music, dance, and theater arts.
‘We have many highly skilled animators, designers, filmmakers, musicians, and others in the creative industries. Certainly, there are also many talented young Filipinos who are aspiring to be part of our creative sector,’ Yamsuan noted.
‘Strengthening arts education in our secondary schools will harness their potential and help us build a sustainable pipeline of skilled and industry-ready creatives who can compete globally while telling distinctly Filipino stories,’ he added.
Yamsuan emphasized that cultivating world-class Filipino artists and creative workers is central to supporting the country’s ambitious goal of becoming Asia’s premier creative hub by 2030. Highlighting the sector’s current economic footprint, he noted that creative industries employed 8.71 million Filipinos last year, generated P2.12 trillion (7.8 percent of GDP at constant prices), and drove exports of creative goods and services to P747 billion in 2025.
‘We can turn this sunrise industry into a major economic growth driver. But we must start by developing our future creative workers into a workforce that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world,’ Yamsuan stressed.
Beyond updating classroom subjects, HB 7864 embeds practical business tools directly into the SPCA curriculum by integrating financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and basic intellectual property rights education.
To ensure the educational program stays ahead of rapidly changing industry trends, the bill establishes a dedicated SPCA Council under DepEd’s administrative supervision. The proposed seven-member council will be chaired by the Education Secretary and feature key representatives from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education, the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council, and the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines.
This council will bridge the gap between academia and commerce by connecting schools directly with industry players through mentorships, work immersions, scholarships, and employment pathways.
In addition, HB 7864 authorizes the hiring of special instructors and industry experts, encourages active private-sector training partnerships, and provides crucial financial incentives-including tax exemptions for donations and grants given to the program, as well as tax breaks on imported creative-industry equipment and materials that are unavailable from local manufacturers.