Creative Economy Council of the Philippines (CECP)

The Creative Economy Council of the Philippines (CECP) is the private body that speaks for the country’s design, advertising, music, film and game firms. It has linked them to state agencies and lawmakers on trade, tax and export policy since 2017.

CECP grew out of a national creative industries summit in June 2017. Paolo Mercado, a veteran advertising and brand executive, chaired it from the start, and membership was open to companies and whole trade associations alike.

That federation shape matters. It lets the council speak for a one-room animation studio and a listed media group in the same submission, which mirrors how Philippine creative production actually splits.

The council sits beside business process outsourcing (BPO) and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) as a services-export pillar. The economics differ, though — creative firms sell intellectual property, not seat hours.

Key takeaways

• Founded in June 2017 as the private-sector voice of Philippine creative industries.
• Republic Act 11904 lapsed into law on 28 July 2022 without the President’s signature.
• Members span design, advertising, animation, film, gaming, music and publishing firms.
• The law names nine creative domains and seats a 19-member national council.
• Creative exports sit beside business process outsourcing as a services-growth pillar.

How it works

CECP works as a federation of trade groups and creative firms. It sets research priorities, drafts policy positions, and presses government on incentives, workforce pipelines and export promotion for the creative industries named in Republic Act 11904.

Republic Act 11904, the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, lapsed into law on 28 July 2022 without the President’s signature, under Article VI, Section 27 (1) of the Constitution.

That mechanism is worth knowing. A bill the President neither signs nor vetoes inside the constitutional window becomes law anyway, so the Act carries full force despite the unsigned enactment line.

Membership runs at both corporate and association level. The domain map sets out who answers for what inside the federation.

The Act seats a Philippine Creative Industries Development Council chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

That council carries 19 members: 10 ex officio government officials and nine private-sector representatives, one for each creative domain, serving six-year terms. The Act also orders a national plan with three-year, six-year and ten-year milestones.

The creative industries span advertising, architecture, crafts, design, film, software, publishing, museums and music. Their contribution to national economies varies between 2% and 11%, on 2015 World Intellectual Property Organization figures.

CECP uses that spread to argue for Philippine parity, through research grants, intellectual property protection and school-to-industry pathways. It picks yearly priorities and briefs both chambers of Congress ahead of budget hearings.

CECP also coordinates with peer bodies outside its own sector. The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) speaks for the IT-BPM side, and the two line up on skills supply.

Working groups sit alongside the board on intellectual property, trade fairs, tax incentives, education pipelines and international representation. Each is staffed by member-firm executives volunteering time between company duties.

Funding comes from membership fees, foundation grants and public project support — a mixed base that lets the council take positions no single agency or firm controls.

Examples

CECP’s footprint shows up in named events, trade missions and city accreditation. Each example traces back to Republic Act 11904 — the 2022 law that made creative industries a national priority sector with a standing government council.

• Creative Futures conference: since its 2018 launch, this annual Manila summit puts founders, agencies, ministers, foreign trade attachés and investors in one room to close deals, share sector data and set the next year’s agenda.
• Creative City designations: Cebu for design, Iloilo for gastronomy and Baguio for crafts each carry United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative City status, and CECP backs the dossiers and follow-up programming.
• International trade missions: CECP delegations have joined South by Southwest in Austin, Annecy in France, the Tokyo Game Show and Asia TV Forum, pitching Philippine animation, gaming, music and format television to buyers and programmers.
• Policy coordination: since Republic Act 11904 took effect, CECP has worked with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) on incentive zones and briefed the House committee on creative industries.

The nine domains the Act names run from audiovisual media and digital interactive media through creative services, design, publishing, performing arts, visual arts, traditional cultural expressions and cultural sites. A tenth slot lets the council add more.

Beyond legislation, CECP runs creative-economy research and briefings for member firms. Regular readouts on export figures, industry headcount and city-level activity give a five-person studio the kind of information a large media group buys.

Related terms

These terms sit next to CECP in the Philippine services and policy cluster. Some name peer industries the council benchmarks against — others name the agencies and member associations it deals with week to week.

• Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): the services-export peer sector CECP benchmarks against.
• Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO): higher-value analytics and research work adjacent to creative services.
• IBPAP: the IT-BPM peer association CECP coordinates with on labour policy.
• DTI: the trade agency whose secretary chairs the council the Act created.
• PEZA: the zone authority CECP works with on tax perks for creative firms.
• Creative Industries: the broader sector CECP represents nationally.
• PARI: the music-industry member body inside the CECP federation.

FAQ

What does CECP stand for?

CECP stands for Creative Economy Council of the Philippines. It is the private-sector federation representing the country’s creative industries in national policy, export promotion and international trade forums.

When was CECP established?

CECP was founded in June 2017 at a national creative industries summit. Paolo Mercado, a veteran advertising and brand executive, served as founding chairman. Membership was open from the start to both individual firms and whole trade associations.

What law backs CECP’s mandate?

Republic Act 11904, the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, lapsed into law on 28 July 2022 without the President’s signature, under Article VI, Section 27 (1) of the Constitution. The Act names creative industries a national priority sector.

Which creative sectors does CECP represent?

CECP covers advertising, animation, publishing, music, gaming, film, design and crafts under one umbrella. Named member firms and associations include Top Draw, 4As Philippines and PARI, spanning micro-studios and large media groups.

How does CECP work with government?

CECP briefs DTI, PEZA and Congress on incentives, intellectual property rules and workforce pipelines. It also backs UNESCO Creative City dossiers for Cebu, Iloilo and Baguio, which hands those cities a global creative credential.

What role did Republic Act 11904 give CECP?

The law created the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council, which reserves nine private-sector seats, one per creative domain, on six-year terms.

Explore more outsourcing and creative-economy terms at Outsource Accelerator.