Five resident artists and around 110 students take part in this year’s Anakbanwa Arts Residency Program in the province, which is one of the gains of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act.

Pangasinan 4th District Representative Christopher de Venecia, who authored the law, also known as Republic Act 11904, said the law boosted support for the creative industry.

He said the arts residency program is fully funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and provides opportunities to artists nationwide.

“It’s about giving creatives (artists) platform to be able to showcase their works, promote not just artworks and creative pieces but also the district (where they belong to) to boost our tourism,” he said in a phone interview Monday.

The arts residency program in the province’s fourth district started in 2021 with three participants. The number of resident-artists rose to five the following year.

De Venecia said the move to propose the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act started during the pandemic when a lot of artists lost their jobs.

Citing Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, the lawmaker said the creative industry contributed around PHP1.6 trillion to the domestic economy in 2022.

Materials produced by this year’s Anakbanwa Arts Residency Program participants can be viewed at the MacArthur House in Dagupan City from Dec. 3, 2023 to Jan. 19, 2024. (PNA)