MANILA  — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) unite to launch "Young Creative Challenge" a screenwriting program.

This was after the DTI launched "Lunsod Lunsad", a project to recognize the potential of creative sectors in local communities in the country, in 2023.

The project led them to new sets of proposals with the theme “Boosting Competitive and Creative Cities."

"This was started by Sen. Imee (Marcos). Mayroong competition for various fields, which includes scriptwriting, for short films. So dito pumapasok ‘yung FDCP kasi teritoryo namin ‘yung films. Pero marami pang categories, they have songwriting, animation and others which will help the aspiring film maker and our industry," FDCP Chairperson Joey Reyes said in an Interview with ABS-CBN News.

According to Reyes, this initiative will impact not just the creative industry but also boost the film industry of the country in the future.

“Ang laki. Ang laki talaga. Alam naman natin that creative agencies don’t get budget which is ton amount to what we really get and what we need. And ang DTI is a mother agency, iyan ang supervising agency ng FDCP si We have a Good and cordion relationship with them, kasi naiintindihan nila ang pangangailangan namin and sometimes addresses what we need and ang dami pa naman plano ng FDCP sa darating na taon which we will be needing the help of DTI," Reyes said.

Reyes also commends the Office of the President for supporting the field of creative industry as it experiences challenges.

“A lot we depend on them, We are directly under the Office of the President. We are also trying to get (Help) as much as possible from the senators and our legislators as well as other agencies. Lahat sinasawsawan namin dahil kailangan,” he explains.

The Young Creatives Challenge, another program of the DTI that promotes the Philippine Creative Industries, aims to identify and promote young talents from the creative fields of Songwriting, Screenwriting, Playwriting, Graphic Novel, Animation, Game Development, and Online Content Creation by providing them with a platform for recognition and development.

As the first season of YC2 has ended, the finalists will now be part of Post-Competition Support Programs through the leadership of DTI and with the support of other government agencies.

Lunsod Lunsad and YC2 are projects that fall under the Malikhaing Pinoy Program (MPP) of DTI that embody the program's mission to cultivate a dynamic and thriving creative sector that contributes significantly to the nation's economic and cultural development.