First Philippine Cosplay Mini Summit and Open Forum

Last August 15, 2009, our group, Project Eiva, was invited to attend the First Cosplay Mini Summit and Open Forum at the University of the Philippines IT Training Center.  One of the goals of the event was to promote the cosplay community. The event was organized by USP Events Specialist Inc. and Holy Ground Productions.  A panel of speakers from the government and the creative arts industry were invited.  Various cosplayers were also invited including people from Cosplay.ph.

The panel of speakers included:

• James Romana, Division Head for Creative Industries, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM)
• Ramon Ibrahim, Cyberservices Comissioner, Commission of Information and Communication Technology (CITC)
• Eric Tamayo, Special Assistant to the Undersecretary, International and Economic Relations, Department of Foreign Affairs
• Ranulf Goss, Vice President, Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP)
• Ruel "Zyn" Abila, Game Master, ABS-CBN Interactive (AMPED)

The open forum was an opportunity for the government to have a better understanding of what cosplay is and what it is all about.  This was perhaps in a way for our community and the subculture in general to let our government have a glimpse of what we are like in the midst of continuous negative sentiment from various government officials.

The speakers of the event discussed briefly what they knew about cosplay which wasn't much from what I gathered.  There was mention about cosplay cutting through lots of sectors inlyucding trade and commerce.  Ranulf Goss, who spoke in behalf of the gaming industry and as well for the animation industry stated that cosplay was a reflection of the work they do and considers it a benchmark for them to do better.  Eric Tamayo from the DFA also talked about cosplay promoting international linkages.  Commissioner Ibrahim himself admitted the lack of knowledge the government had about cosplay and even joked about not knowing that his own son was a cosplayer until that week.

The first question from the participants came from Robert Wong of Cosplay.ph directed at the spokesperson from ABS-CBN, GM Zyn.  As he started to ask, it became abundantly clear that he was a bit hostile.  He seemed to have been offended by the way GM Zyn had depicted cosplayers being in a farm and wanting to grow and cultivate us developing us for gaming.  He began to lecture him on what cosplay was.  He made it a point to say that "cosplay is a hobby, if you get paid to do it then you're not a cosplayer but a model."

Robert Wong on what is cosplay

I pondered on that thought for a while.  I agree with his assertion that cosplay is a hobby.  But is it only a hobby?  I see it as well as an art form as well and a way to express oneself and a reflection of one's creativity as well.  But I have to disagree with him in saying that people getting paid to cosplay are not cosplayers anymore but are models.  Just because a cosplayer was paid for his services, does not necessarily make him or her less of a cosplayer.  In fact there are cosplayers here that have been asked to do appearances and were paid either in kind or in some small monetary value.  Are they considered models already?  How about cosplay cafes?  There are employees there that are actual cosplayers but get paid to dress up as a maid, butler or some other character.  Does that make them less of a cosplayer, too?

Somebody pointed out that toy collecting is a hobby, however, there are toy collectors that make money through buying and selling of toys.  They are still toy collectors though they choose to make money out of it.  The same thing could be said about gamers.  There are gamers who get paid to play games, as testers, QA, etc.  Does not make them less of a gamer?  Perhaps, I am one of the few that believe that cosplaying encompasses everyone, whether they be those that compete on ramp, or the so called "costrippers" that refuse to be categorized the same way as competitive cosplayers, or even those that actually get paid to do what they enjoy even if those returns may only be token keepsakes.

As the open forum continued, I did notice that our government point persons did not have anything concrete to say.  As Otaking had said, they often said "we'll look into it." Very political answers, vague so as not to promise anything that they may not even be able to deliver.  Laureen made a good point in saying that it is great to hear that our government would like to support our community but how sincere is the government in helping us? After all, there have been issues such as the infamous Hentai bill or the case of a representative depicting online gaming to be bad, actions from the government that does effect the community one way or another.  Another guest, Gian, also asked the question, "How can you help us?"

Cliff Sawit of Project Otaking

As I continued to listen to the government point persons, I noticed a consistency in their answers.  They showed a certain interest as this was unfamiliar territory but would give vague answers and did not promise anything but research about it more.  Typical of the government, really but I can also see why.  Here's a bunch of people who have only heard about cosplay just recently and don't know about our subculture.  You can't expect us to make changes when we don't know what changes are needed.  Just like Commissioner Ibrahim asked, "How can we help you?"

It seemed to me that from what the speakers were saying is that what we needed was to have a more unified group or classify cosplay as an industry or better yet, both.  Options that most cosplayers are not ready to do as it seems. 

With such a divided and fractured community, it makes me wonder if anyone would be able to accomplish unifying the community.  I would love to see an organization that would encompass all cosplayers in such a way an actors guild works.  But that may be wishful thinking.

Then there's the aversion of the thought of commercializing cosplay and turning it into an industry.  While cosplay in itself is not commercial (and perhaps should not be), one has to understand that the events that have cosplay are commercial in its nature.  Anytime an event markets, promotes or makes money out of a product using cosplay or a cosplay competition, then the event commercializes on cosplay. 

I am not saying that we should completely trust the government.  I have my own issues with the government but you know I tried going there with an open mind.  Just because it's the "government," it doesn't mean that they are there to meddle and to take advantage of us.  Let's face it, the government works in almost every aspect of our lives and whether we like it or not, we have to contend with it.  I personally would rather have the government work for me than against me.  We already take too much flack from society as "weirdos in costume" and from ill-informed public servants.  Maybe it's time that we let the government know a little more about us before we judge.

I can see many potential benefits with having mutual understanding and support with the government.  First of all, when cosplayers converge for events, trade happens.  There are many cosplayers who sell items from souvenirs and knick knacks to costume pieces, props or even the costume themselves.  Let's not forget the people who organize conventions, the merchants selling various anime or game related industries, the game developers and publishers who promote their games, and even print media who would like to capture the cosplayers as their target market.  No matter how we look at it, industries pop up which is something the government would be interested in developing and would be in their best interest to support the community.

Secondly, cosplay could also be promoted as an form of art and expression of our culture.  As far as I know, the government provides tax breaks for the culture and arts.  Since our events are being taxed anyway, wouldn't it be a great idea to get a little leeway from those taxes.  Reducing the cost of overhead expenses means there is better use of money somewhere else.  This could mean cheaper entrance at the events we go to or better prizes for competitions.  You could even use that extra budget by enhancing the event as well.

I can also see the possibility that with the government having a better understanding of our culture that legislation such as the "Hentai Bill" may not end up alienating us.  There is also the possibility of better legislation that would seek to protect us and open opportunities in the community not only in cosplaying but in people who earn a small livelihood from the burgeoning institution. 

One can dream. 

Though it was obvious that our government has a long way to go in understanding this world we call cosplay, I am not ready to close my doors for better understanding.  Everything begins with one small step, be it baby steps.

I know my view is not a very popular one, but I do hope those who read this could see my perspective.  I am glad I attended as a lot of issues were brought up and discussed and I can see how our community can benefit from similar open forums such as this and hope more of this could happen for a better understanding not only with the government but within our current fractured community.

For those interested in other articles regarding the event, please check out ProjectOtaking.com - Otagonzo: The First Philippine Cosplay Mini-Summit and Eva_guy01's Multiply - Government and Cosplay:  The 1st Philippine Cosplay Mini-Summit.