IPOPHL says IP can help boost BARMM economy

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) engaged last week with various communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to underscore how intellectual property (IP) can help accelerate the region’s economic growth.

IPOPHL Director General (DG) Rowel S. Barba said the objective of IPOPHL’s two-day visit in Cotabato City is to elevate BARMM’s awareness on IP.

“IP in its diverse forms, including patents, trademarks and copyright, are crucial for safeguarding BARMM’s products, preserving cultural heritage and creating a vibrant investment climate,” Barba said.

The IPOPHL chief added that IP can also help BARMM lead the charge in the country’s ambition of being the Halal center in Asia Pacific by 2028, as outlined under the Philippine Halal Industry Development Strategic Plan 2023-2028.

The said roadmap also targets to double Philippine-made halal-certified products and services to 6,000 by 2028 from the current 3,000, attracting P230 billion in investments and generating 120,00 jobs over the next four years.

“With the Halal market poised to grow dramatically in the region, competition will inevitably be tight, challenging and yet exciting. To stand out above the rest, IP can be a vital tool to BARMM’s Halal producers and traders,” Barba said during a KaIPhan with local media last July 22.

On that day, the IPOPHL team also met with the heads of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism in BARMM to explore areas for further collaboration. On July 23, IPOPHL gathered 124 individuals from local government offices, the MSME sector and creative industries at its community-targeted awareness program called the “Raising the Economy by Acquiring Protection of the IP of your Community (REAP IP) Program.

“With greater knowledge in registering their IP assets and enforcing their IP rights, the inventors, artists and the MSMEs we met in BARMM are better equipped to explore yet another resource that can move the region from its peace-building era to a golden era: that is making their ideas come to life and to markets,” Barba added.

DG Barba expressed gratitude to the support of BARMM’s local offices and the Philippine Information Agency in bridging IPOPHL to the region’s communities.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that the region’s GDP grew from P280.3 billion in 2022 to P292. 2 billion in 2023. The growth shows the regional economy’s continued positive performance after shining in post-pandemic 2021 when it recorded the second-fastest growth rate among all regions in the country. (Janina Lim/IPOPHL)