PARAÑAQUE City Rep. Brian Yamsuan is pushing for stronger arts education in junior and senior high schools to develop the next generation of creative professionals and position the Philippines as a major player in the global creative industry.

Yamsuan said the country has a wealth of talented animators, designers, filmmakers, musicians, and other creative professionals capable of competing in the international market while showcasing distinctly Filipino stories and culture.

To support this goal, Yamsuan filed House Bill No. 7864, which seeks to strengthen and modernize the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Special Program for the Creative Arts (SPCA).

The proposed measure seeks to expand the program’s curriculum to cover architecture and related arts, film, design, digital fabrication, and new media to equip students with skills suited to the evolving creative industry.

It also proposes integrating financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and basic intellectual property rights education into the curriculum while providing for the hiring of specialized instructors and industry experts.

The bill likewise encourages partnerships with the private sector to support student training and development, as well as the provision of tax incentives for donations and grants to the program.

It also proposes tax breaks on imported equipment and materials required by the creative industry that are not locally available.

Yamsuan said developing globally competitive artists and creative workers would help the Philippines achieve its goal of becoming a leading creative hub in Asia by 2030.

He cited industry data showing that the Philippine creative industry employed 8.71 million Filipinos and generated P2.12 trillion in 2025, equivalent to 7.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Exports of creative industry goods and services also reached P747 billion during the same year.

Yamsuan stressed that investing in arts education and developing the skills of young Filipinos are essential to sustaining the industry’s growth and transforming it into a major driver of economic development.