IPOPHL says strong IP system is key to building creative cities as Quezon City, Dumaguete earn UNESCO honors
November 13, 2025
IPOPHL lauded the recent recognition of Quezon City and Dumaguete City as new members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), calling the twin achievement a testament to the country’s thriving creative spirit and to the growing value placed on intellectual property (IP) in building thriving local economies.
UNESCO named Quezon City a Creative City of Film and Dumaguete City a Creative City of Literature, citing their strong creative ecosystems and cultural leadership.
An ex-officio member of the Creative Industries Council, IPOPHL said the two cities’ global recognition affirms that “Filipino creativity, when protected and nurtured through IP, can power both cultural pride and economic progress.”
“Every city that celebrates creativity should also celebrate IP,” said Acting Director General Nathaniel S. Arevalo.
Filmmaking and the future of creative rights
Home to the country’s film industry since the postwar era, Quezon City now holds the UCCN title as Asia’s newest Creative City of Film.
“Quezon City’s position as a film capital can benefit from stronger copyright systems, fair contracts and branding programs to professionalize and sustain its film industry,” Arevalo said.
He noted that the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, soon to be implemented by IPOPHL, will help ensure that actors and audiovisual performers receive just recognition and reward in today’s digital economy.
Quezon City has also been a consistent advocate for creativity across disciplines. Demonstrating this commitment, it served as both key partner and host city of the 2024 Philippine International Copyright Summit organized by the Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights (BCRR), helping IPOPHL highlight intersections of culture, technology and copyright and reinforce the importance of the creative economy in advancing local governments.
Copyright literacy for a literary legacy
Meanwhile, Dumaguete City, home to the Silliman University National Writers Workshop and generations of writers, from National Artist Edith Tiempo to 13-time Palanca laureate Ian Casocot, has long nurtured some of the country’s finest voices in poetry and fiction.
“Its long literary legacy earned Dumaguete the much-deserved title, showing that copyright, publishing rights and collective management systems can empower authors to share their stories while protecting their works in local and global markets,” said Deputy Director General Ann Claire C. Cabochan who led the IPOPHL delegation during its visit in the creative city.
In November 2024, IPOPHL held a two-day conference in Dumaguete City to empower its writers to safeguard their works and help cultivate a culture of respecting IP rights in the city, a BCRR initiative support the city’s bid to join the UCCN.
Quezon City and Dumaguete City join their Philippine peers—Baguio for Crafts and Folk Arts, Cebu for Design and Iloilo for Gastronomy—bringing the total number of UNESCO Creative Cities worldwide to 408.