The first of December 2023 in Angeles City is welcomed by the gathering of Central Luzon’s own creative forces at the first Creative Industries of Region 3 Community Assembly or the CIRCA Creative Revolution by the Department of Trade and Industry – Central Luzon. The event’s agenda is to gather representations from all seven provinces of the region of the newly and legally identified nine creative domains stipulated by R.A. 11904 otherwise known as the Philippine Creative Industries Act. They have invited resource speakers from each domain who would share their journey and success in their respective fields.
THE EXPERIENCE
I am deeply honored and privileged to have been invited to such an event – to have an opportunity to interact with different creative souls. What made it more nostalgic is that it happened at my college Alma Mater – Holy Angel University. We are welcomed with live Rondalla Music from the ground floor up to the 9th floor of the PGN Building. After registration, we are ushered to identified rooms for quick snacks before the event before we are called for the main event.
The Auditorium Foyer featured kiosks for the creative sellers. I am astonished by the works of art like the painting and brass wire art of Mr. Ryan Lugtu. There are product lines supported and enhanced by the DTI to further promote the creative MSME’s.
Momentarily, the forum began with a message from the DTI-Central Luzon Regional Director Ms. Brigida Pili. Listening intently to Ms. Pili, here are my takeaways from her opening remarks: Central Luzon as an agricultural region is more than rice fields and plantations, but a large swathe of land and seas that would certainly boost the tapestry of its creative industry residing within its bosoms. She highlighted that it’s about time to place the creative industries into the limelight to mark the beginning of boundless creative energy. Additionally, Ms. Pili mentioned that CIRCA 2023 is not a merely gathering, but a convergence of diverse minds and transformative powers of each creative domain where sheer passion pushes boundaries and changes the norms.
A video message from HAU President Mr. Leopoldo Valdes Jr. highlighted the power of each mind that can drive the Gross Domestic Product from virtually out of nothing.
We have a hearty buffet lunch separating the morning and afternoon segments and overflowing coffee to pick up our sleep heads. Additionally, we enjoyed a panoramic view of the Cabusilan Mountain Range and offered a striking natural light show during the sunset.
THE LEARNING
The main event began and I was truly ecstatic about the creative ideas and learning I could learn. Here are my takeaways from each domain speaker:
Domain 1: AUDIO VISUAL MEDIA (FILM)
Mr. Solidum is an architect graduate and he is good at interpreting designs in different forms and styles. His love of filmmaking began with a filmmaking invite from a government agency. His filmmaking journey began with using basic tech gadgets and simple filmmaking editing programs until such time his passion grew deeper and has dipped his whole feet into the realm of Film Making. His knack for design a key role in creating interesting cinematography and unique storyboards that would truly tickle its audience by directing fictional stories. It is an ambitious dream of Mr. Solidum.
A takeaway from his talk is that the Epitome of Ignorance is Bliss. It was his opportunity to create design processes for filmmaking until such time he punched through the invisible wall to the domain of Audio Visual Media.
Domain 2: TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF VIDEO GAMES
Who would have thought of creating an interactive game featuring the Philippine Mythological Characters? This is one of the incredible works of Mr. Ezekiel Marcelino. Since he felt sick a few days before the event, he sent a video message played at the plenary. Mr. Marcelino has been an indie game developer for more than 6 years. An indie game developer is usually not backed up by any video game publishers and, thus, almost practically fully self-funded in all processes and stages of game development.
One particularly interesting game he developed is a Carinderia Game – where players get the interactive experience of surviving a food business. His creative mind and deep experience have made him mention that the Philippine Gaming Industry is in its infancy phase yet growing and promising in the Philippines. He encouraged everyone to support the local gaming industry, especially the independent game publishers and altogether discover their creative potential. He ended his video speech by thanking the DTI for promoting and supporting the Local Creative Industry.
Domain 3: CREATIVE SERVICE
Ms. Kishy Canlas, a proud HAU Alumni, has shared her journey in the world of Digital Marketing. I liked her way of sharing her message as she concisely discussed the tools in her role in a manner that everybody would understand. Her domain transcends to the remaining eight as this would be the advertising and marketing phase of each.
I love how she discussed thoroughly the science and art of her field. I find it appealing, being a travel writer where I get lots of pointers on how to do social media posts to increase engagement. The minutes provided were not enough but Ms. Canlas was able to share a few of her styles My key takeaway from her is to embrace the artist within and always stay curious. She also highlighted that it is okay to say “I do not know” being part of the creative industry as this expresses the humility side.
Domain 4: DESIGN (Fashion)
A Tarlaceno, Mr. Pat Lazol, Director of the Fashion Institute of the Philippines began his talk with an interesting title: The Reflection of Times through Fashion. He invited the creative audience in a delightful storytelling that brought us on an imaginative journey through changes in fashion every decade. It is indeed evident, that each decade’s style is a reflection of what happened during those years.
Moving forward in the current decade, fashion has changed its game as it has blurred the thick line between genders. Fashion became a realm of gender fluidity expression and in the organizational framework of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Nowadays, it is evident that the stereotyped styles now apply to every individual, regardless of gender expression, generation, ethnicity, and body type.
Domain 5: PUBLICATION
Who would have known the intricate process of creating and publishing physical books for the young generation in their native language? The Fifth Creative Domain which is Publication is represented by a resource speaker from Aklat Alamid, an independent publisher of Kiddie Books, Mr. John Venturero. This domain is actually one of the platforms to promote and save the dying languages. The Philippines is a nation of nations, thus, hundreds of different languages dot every province and region, of many we have not heard about yet.
Mr. Venturero particularly shared the ventures in publishing the Ti Dakkel Nga Armang book – an Ilocano language kiddie book. By saying that we need a community to create books for children, this is a solid example. From the writers, the translators, the young generators, and the publishers themselves which would truly amass in great numbers if collated is a clear testament to a community requirement for the success of each publishing.
Domain 6: PERFORMING ARTS
Imagine a world without dance, theatre, and music? – one of the statements of the 6th Resource Speaker, Mr. Aaron John Masiglat. He asked the crowd to close their eyes and imagine the bland world without these. Music and Dance are part of every living culture and heritage. Mr. Masiglat is a co-founder of Paper Soul, a strong community of Spoken Word Poetry in Pampanga. The domain of Performing Arts adds color to every heritage and adds life to every heritage, cementing the values and virtues through performances.
I loved how he shared the thought of expressing the message through various mediums and channels of performing arts. After listening to a monologue and spoken poetry, it is evident that the experience of adding life, colors, soul, and emotions to the topics and messages they convey. It is like bringing you into that world, momentarily. It was transcending. He closed with a message that we all live to tell. We must have the heart for stories and tell them in the most creative form, in the most innovative means, and with the deepest meaning. His presentation is entitled Echoes of Originality: Exploring Spoken Word Poetry.
Domain 7: VISUAL ARTS
Another architect graced the CIRCA 2023 stage under the persona of Ms. Linden Oconer, the founder of the Mini Muni, a brainchild of a consortium of four NGO’s to promote active engagement with the younger audiences through interactive educational materials. The lessons aim to preserve the endangered wildlife in the Philippines by making easily understandable visual arts such as alphabet cards. She shared also how art is evident in our daily lives, sans mediocrity, as it is anything and everything that humans ever made. A striking example is the actual CIRCA 2023, a convention created by humans for the human need for art.
Apart from creative expressions, they used their platform to create awareness of the depleting numbers of species of flora and fauna, even the ones we do not know about. Ms. Wilka led us on another journey where each and everyone can take part to protect the species and survive for the next generation to marvel. It is through art that she introduced the strong message of their advocacy as evidently, we owe the world through art. It is how we know how far things are, and their proportions.
Domain 8: TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION
The town of Sta. Ana in Pampanga province became the focus for the 8th Creative Domain as presented by the Cabalen Mr. Allen Luis Dizon Jr. A celebrated chef by profession in the US, he gives back to his beloved town by putting up Casa Apu – a DTI registered organization to preserve and share the culture and heritage of Sta. Ana and executed on the side of creativity. The majority do not know about the tourism landscape of the town, and this platform kickstarted the cultural mapping, thus, helping on profiling of Sta. Ana for the government agencies.
This gave the audience a vibrant journey in their town’s historical spots such as their Sta. Ana Church, old heritage house and their local market, and most importantly, the delectable dishes they serve that trigger our interest. Additionally, the Majijangga Festival, a giant mechanical puppet festival, is promoted, as one of the unique local festivals of Pampanga celebrated every 28th of December. This Cultural Expression Domain allows visitors and guests to experience what is uniquely there, something that we do not experience daily.
Domain 9: CULTURAL DOMAINS (Museums)
And to curate everything and anything creative, this is where the final domain is about – the Cultural Domain, otherwise commonly known as Museums. More than a structural building, Museums are cultural domains where learning and experience are housed in a curated fashion. Ms. Bettina Arriola, the Curator of the Museum of Social History in Angeles City, discussed the important components of a successful museum.
More than displays, the museums are learning hubs for every topic feasible and a venue for experiential events for every generation and every member of society. It promotes inclusivity as they are avenues and channels to showcase indigenous craftsmanship and customs. Museums also cultivate creativity and innovation as they have to address the changing environs and technological landscape affecting one’s experience of creative expression. I, myself, am a product of a museum project. During my younger years as a travel blogger, an SEO event was held at the same museum where I learned the technical tools to apply Search Engine Optimization for my blog site.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY?
With the newly enacted law that would protect the creative industries, it is high time to protect such talents. As of writing, there are many creative souls embedded in our society, in our very region, the beloved Central Luzon. It is time to allow these creatives to flourish and steer humanity to become more curious and create more. As this region continues to evolve and flourish, support and fund each artist, visionaries and trailblazers pave the way for a clear future where creativity knows no bounds and ultimately celebrates the richness of human imagination.
With more government agencies tasked by the law to support the creative industry, I think, we can expect to have more programs, events, and conventions such as CIRCA 2023 that highlight the talents and promote camaraderie between the business stakeholders, the creatives, and the government agencies in the future.
It is clearly a brighter future and a chance to grow being a creative soul in Central Luzon.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My heartfelt thanks to Sir Darby Raul for inviting me to such an event. It is heartwarming! With tons of learnings and takeaways, this is a great start for our very own creative society.