PIDS urges greater use of creative economy

MANILA, Philippines — State-run think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) is urging government and the private sector to support the greater use of the country’s creative economy alongside emerging technologies to create viable products and services with creative content and cultural value.

During a recent seminar on opportunities in the use of emerging technologies borne out of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe), PIDS senior senior research fellow Jose Ramon Albert said the use of such could enable the merger of the creative economy with science areas like electronics and engineering.

 ”We can’t just compartmentalize and say technology is just about science. It’s going to impact every aspect of society including culture,” he said.

The creative economy is the interface between economy, culture, technology and social aspects.

PIDS said several FIRe technologies could help designers and manufacturers enhance the creative content of their products and keep up with changes in the market environment.

Furniture manufacturers, for instance, may find it easy to buy equipment and materials but may have difficulty finding designers who know digital fabrication.

Albert, noted however, that government efforts to encourage students and local workers to enhance creativity skills are already underway, although needing more support from the private sector.

Through the Department of Trade and Industry and partner agencies, fabrication laboratories, also known as “FabLab,” have been set up in various state universities and colleges in the country.

There are now 10 FabLabs nationwide, with the first established in Bohol Island State University in 2014.

FabLabs are small-scale workshops used to create prototypes and scale models of products before mass production through digital fabrication.

While such efforts are led by the government, Albert emphasized that other stakeholders should also contribute to ensure that the country can benefit from the opportunities presented by emerging technologies.

 ”We need to have a whole-of-government approach, but at the same time, it’s not just the government’s role. It’s the entire society’s role. That is why we really need a whole-of-nation approach,” he said.