DTI Philippines, Thailand’s CEA forge partnership to boost creative economy

Posted: September 25, 2025
In Photo: (From L-R) DTI Philippines delegates from Philippine Creative Industries Development Council Secretariat Acting Executive Director Lilian G. Salonga, and Competitiveness and Innovation Group Supervising Head and Assistant Secretary Nylah Rizza D. Bautista, together with Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency Deputy Director Inthaphan Buakeow and Senior Specialist Montinee Yongvikul, as they forge partnership to boost the creative economy.
In Photo: (From L-R) DTI Philippines delegates from Philippine Creative Industries Development Council Secretariat Acting Executive Director Lilian G. Salonga, and Competitiveness and Innovation Group Supervising Head and Assistant Secretary Nylah Rizza D. Bautista, together with Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency Deputy Director Inthaphan Buakeow and Senior Specialist Montinee Yongvikul, as they forge partnership to boost the creative economy.

Bangkok, Thailand — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through its Competitiveness and Innovation Group (CIG) and the Creative Economy Agency (CEA) of Thailand formalized their commitment to advance collaboration in the creative industries on 18 September 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.The partnership, led by DTI – CIG Assistant Secretary Nylah Rizza D. Bautista and CEA Executive Director Chakrit Pichyangkul, through the support of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) Bangkok, marks a milestone in strengthening the 76 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Thailand. Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the partnership will establish a framework for cooperation aimed at promoting creative industry development, innovation, and cross-border collaboration between Filipino and Thai creative enterprises.

Through this partnership, both agencies will pursue initiatives that highlight creative industry promotion, business matching and ecosystem linkages, artist and content collaboration, and supportive programs for creative cities. This includes mutual participation in flagship platforms fostering connections between creative startups and enterprises in sectors like design, fashion, and digital content, supporting music exchange programs and co-development of creative content, and facilitating expert exchanges and learning activities aligned with UNESCO Creative Cities initiatives.

“Through targeted policies, capacity building, and encouragement of cross-border partnerships, we remain deeply committed to nurturing a thriving ecosystem for trade, knowledge sharing, and collective progress,” said DTI-CIG Assistant Secretary Bautista, emphasizing the significance of the partnership.

The MOU will be effective for three years and may be extended or renewed subject to review and approval by both parties. Activities will be jointly implemented through work plans and project-specific agreements, with regular consultations to ensure responsiveness to both countries’ priorities.

The DTI delegation’s engagement with CEA formed part of its broader participation at Food Ingredients Asia and Vitafoods Asia 2025. On 17 September, the team participated in the event and delivered a statement of support in the opening ceremony held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. During the event, they also visited and showed support to the booth of the Association of Local Artisans, Food and Other Producers of the Philippines (ALAFOP), and met with the National Innovation Agency of Thailand. On 18 September, the delegation also met with the organizers of the PackPrint and Corrutec Asia 2025 and the Thai Corrugated Packaging Association to pursue trade and investment partnership opportunities.

These activities underscored the Philippines’ commitment to advancing not only trade and investment but also creative industry cooperation in the ASEAN region. ♦

Date of Release: 23 September 2025