Over the years, the creative economy has emerged to be a vital driver of economic growth globally, which currently represents approximately three percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) (UNCTAD 2022), with predictions suggesting this share could triple by 2030 (Shapiro 2024). In the Philippines, the creative economy reached Php 1.94 trillion, which contributed 7.13 percent to the country’s gross domestic product of Php 21.05 trillion and accounts for 7.51 million workers or 15.4 percent of the total employed persons in 2024 (PSA, 2025). This study was conducted primarily to gather insights on the experiences and challenges of creative industry workers, particularly those in the movie, television, broadcast, and advertising industries, and explore how to harness social dialogue mechanisms to promote workers’ welfare and rights, especially the contract and freelance workers. The study found that the passage of Republic Act No. 10395 or the Eddie Garcia Law paved the way for the progressive changes in terms of regulating the movie and TV industry. However, there are still gaps particularly on the aspect of redressing grievances and workers’ participation and representation in discussions and dialogues despite the creation of the Movie and Television Industry Tripartite Council (MTITC). While the country’s legal framework provides a good foundation for harnessing social dialogue mechanisms across different industries, workers under the contract and freelance work arrangements still experience limitations, particularly in access to safeguard mechanisms at the enterprise level. Regardless of their work arrangements and employment status, workers' rights and welfare should not be prejudiced. The study recommended the following: strengthen the existing bipartite and tripartite mechanisms in the creative industries by utilizing the workers’ guilds; expand the National Certification Program to cover the creative industry; and develop inclusive social and labor policies for creative workers, through the Creative Workers’ Welfare Committee under the Philippine Creative Industry Development Act.
Keywords: creative industries, creative economy, working conditions, social dialogue, freelance workers, contract workers
Principal Authors: Franchesca Rose S. Castillo | Marvin G. Cabangunay
Contributors: Marcos S. Ursua | Jun Karlo T. Laroza | Diether B. Navarosa | Arianne Ishreen C. Bucar-Tarrosa