Quezon City, Baguio City sign alliance as UNESCO Creative Cities
MANILA, Philippines — The local governments of Quezon City and Baguio City signed a creative alliance to strengthen their ties as members of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network.
Baguio City became the Philippines' first Creative City in 2018, recognized as a City of Crafts and Folk Arts, while Quezon City — as a City of Film — was the latest Philippine city to join the network alongside Dumaguete for Literature last November.
Dumaguete in fact is just the second City of Film in Asia after Indonesian capital Jakarta, recognized in 2021. The other two Philippine designations are Cebu City for Design) and Iloilo City (Gastronomy).
Quezon City and Baguio City sealed their partnership in the latter's John Hay Hotels during the recently concluded Montañosa Film Festival, hosted by Baguio City for a sixth year.
The mayors of both cities, Joy Belmonte and Benjamin Magalong, led the signing together with UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines Secretary-General Dr. Ivan Anthony Henares and National Artist Kidlat Tahimik.
Representatives from both cities also included Quezon City Tourism Department Head Giana Aira Barata, QCinema Artistic Director Ed Lejano, Creative Baguio City Council co-chair Marie Venus Tan and Baguio City Councilor Vladimir Cayabas.
The partnership will see both cities promote creative exchange through artist and filmmaker mobility, joint projects, and training programs while also encouraging the integration of traditional crafts and folk arts into film production.
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The alliance also includes participation in festivals, cultural events, and joint exhibitions and screenings, as well as a commitment to capacity building, knowledge sharing, and co-promotion of initiatives through international platforms like the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Belmonte said in a statement that the Creative Cities like Quezon City and Baguio City are "called to insist that creativity is a lifeline."
"By supporting our artisans and industry professionals, we are strengthening our collective ability to make sense of who we are. The challenges are bigger than any one city can solve," the Quezon City mayor continued.
She also noted that both cities still have much to learn from each other, citing the recognition of both cities, "In building this alliance, we will surely be in a better position to find the answers."
At the same event, Belmonte announced the Quezon City Film Commission would now become the Quezon City Screen Commission to support all forms of screen-based storytelling and formally introduced Lejano as the new commission head.
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Disclosure: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is a shareholder of Philstar Global Corp., which operates Philstar.com. This article was produced independently in adherence to our editorial and ethical guidelines
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