The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has officially opened the first ASEAN Creative Industries Expo by Malikhaing Pinoy (ASEAN MPEx) at SMX Convention Center Aura in Taguig City, bringing together creative talents, businesses, policymakers, and industry stakeholders from across the region.
The expo highlights the growing strength of the Philippine creative economy, which has reached ₱2.12 trillion, contributing 7.6 percent to the country’s GDP. The sector also generated ₱320 billion in creative goods exports and ₱427 billion in creative services exports. Digital interactive goods and services, including game development and animation, account for nearly a fifth of the sector’s output and are projected to reach USD 2.6 billion by 2027.
Building A Regional Creative Economy
DTI Secretary Cristina A. Roque highlighted the government’s efforts to provide Filipino creators with platforms and opportunities to expand into international markets. She also pointed to the upcoming Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), expected to be signed during the 49th ASEAN Summit in November, which aims to streamline cross-border digital trade, payments, data flows, and intellectual property protection among ASEAN Member States.
The Philippines is also proposing an ASEAN Center of Excellence for Creative Industries (ACE-CI), envisioned as a permanent regional hub for policy research, capacity-building, and market development, with the Philippines proposed as its host.
Organized by the DTI through the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council Secretariat, ASEAN MPEx brings together all nine creative domains: Audiovisual Media, Creative Services, Cultural Sites, Digital Interactive Media, Design, Performing Arts, Publishing and Printed Media, Traditional Cultural Expressions, and Visual Arts.
Creativity Meets Commerce
The expo features the ASEAN Malikhaing Pinoy Pavilion, a Government Services Pavilion, a Coconut Industry Pavilion highlighting sustainable design, a preview of the Philippines’ World Expo 2025 Osaka presence, and a Philippine Gastronomy feature developed with the Department of Tourism.
Running through September 19, 2026, ASEAN MPEx also features live cultural performances, Malikhaing Pinoy Talks, domain exhibits, and pitching sessions designed to connect creators with investors and potential business partners.
Through the Malikhaing Pinoy Program, the DTI continues to position Philippine creativity as a driver of economic growth, regional collaboration, and cultural exchange, supporting the vision of making the Philippines Asia’s Premier Creative Hub by 2030.
