SP ok’s on final reading ‘creative Baguio council’

By Jordan Habiling

BAGUIO CITY - The Sangguniang Panlungsod, in its regular session on March 15, approved on third and final reading an ordinance creating the Creative Baguio City Council (CBCC) with an annual budget of P10 million.
    The CBCC will be chaired by the city mayor and co-chaired by a representative from the arts and creative sector and the City Planning and Development Coordinator.
    Members will include the respective SP committee chairs on education, culture, creativity, and historical research; tourism, special events, parks, and playgrounds; City Budget officer; City Tourism officer and DOT-CAR representative; DTI Baguio and regional office representatives and another from private and public Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs).
    Crafts and folk arts and other categories/sectors of arts will also be represented such as woodcarving, basket-making, silver works and craft, weaving and tattooing, audio-visual and interactive media, cultural and natural heritage, performance and celebration, visual arts and crafts.
    Others include books and press, design and creative services, software programming, computer gaming, and animation and other artistic expressions and emerging creative industries that may need representation in the CBCC.
    The creative council will take the lead in policy recommendation geared toward establishing a progressive and responsive local creative economy.
    It may recommend to the Sangguniang Panlungsod the creation of local laws for the growth and development of crafts and folk arts and other creative fields in the city.
    It will be the task of the creative council to assess and review the creative city programs deemed eligible for execution.
The creative council will also execute capacity building programs to empower stakeholders in the creative sector/industry so that they will thrive in terms of social entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihood.
    CBCC will see the establishment of creative schools and artistic learning spaces/villages in the city to capacitate artists, artisans, and craftsmen including promising local young talents particularly the underprivileged as they will be provided a sustainable source of income.
    Another project at the helm of the creative council is the creation of creative centers designed as brand production spaces to be funded and managed by the city government in collaboration with concerned government agencies. This is to further promote or showcase the city’s local and indigenous arts and crafts.
    Under the CBCC, an executive committee will be created and tasked to deal with matters in need of immediate attention and ensure that the initiatives of the CBCC are effectively carried out.
    The CBCC secretariat will be formed and tasked to collate and secure pertinent documents as needed for research, coordinate with the concerned city government offices and other institutions with respect to the creative industry programs and activities, and inventory the identified city creative centers, hubs, and spaces in the city, among others.
    An amount of 10 million will be allocated annually for the implementation of the programs of the CBCC and for policy research and development, consultation meetings and study preparation, and policy assessment and formulation.
    The ordinance has been forwarded to the City Mayor’s Office for signing.
    The need to create a creative council has stemmed from the city government’s commitment to realize its vision as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Recognizing the power of creative innovation in building a sustainable city, the city government is committed to mold Baguio City into a creative hub where the creatives thrive and contribute to the development and welfare of the community.