DTI expedites building of Cebu Design Center

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Trade and Industry 7 is now mapping out plans to establish a Cebu Design Center to address the looming shortage of good designers in Cebu.

DTI-7 regional director Asteria Caberte said that her office is preparing to speed up the opening of the Design Center in Cebu to respond to the calls of the private sector for the government to act on the issue.

Republic Act No. 10557, also known as the “Philippine Design Competitiveness Act of 2013”, mandates the Design Center of the Philippines to establish more public creative zones and environment in Metro Manila and other central hubs in different regions across the country.

DTI has identified Cebu as one of the locations to set up a regional design center to help institutionalize and promote design and culture nationwide.

Caberte added that DTI-7 is coordinating with private stakeholders for the establishment of the Cebu Design Center.

The creation of the design center is expected to benefit designers, small and medium enterprises, industry associations, and design faculty members and students.

A public-private partnership project, the centers will provide training, seminars, workshops, materials research and development and other design capability improvement activities. These also share online design trends subscription and other reference materials.

These design promotion programs aim to improve skills, knowledge and capabilities of regional designers at par with global standards; and increase product quality and market-competitiveness of SMEs.

Economist Bernardo Villegas of the University of Asia & the Pacific (UA&P) earlier warned Cebu creative stakeholders, specifically in the design sector to take extra care of this advantage, otherwise, Cebu will lose its "magic" in the promising creative industry, if quality, as well as talent supply will not be properly addressed.

Last week, industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue expressed fears that Cebu may lose its competitive edge in design if the lack of competent trainers and teachers will not be acted upon.

Villegas said that the creative sector, of which design is largely part of, has a good prospect for growth in the Philippines. In fact, it is part of the roster of sunrise industries for the country in 2015. — Ehda M. Dagooc (FREEMAN)