IPOPHL Urges Stronger Collaboration to Boost IP Awareness

As Filipino talents continue to soar globally, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is calling on partners in the public and private sectors, along with state universities and colleges, to unite in protecting the rights of music creators in the digital economy.

In her welcome remarks and State of Intellectual Property (IP) Address at the 2025 Gawad Yamang Isip (GYI) Awards held last week, IPOPHL Director General Brigitte M. Da Costa-Villaluz emphasized the need for more opportunities to educate the public on their rights.

“The duty, of course, to inform holders of rights that can be protected is IPOPHL’s,” Da Costa-Villaluz said.

“Nonetheless, we call on support for this endeavor. We have capacity-building projects in place,” she added.

“IPOPHL by itself will not be able to reach everyone, but we know that with your help, we will be able to reach more,” she said.

With the ongoing boom in the Philippine music scene, Da Costa-Villaluz highlighted the need to ensure that creators are fairly rewarded through IP awareness, education and capacity-building initiatives.

She also pointed out the need for strong enforcement efforts, especially in the digital space, which presents challenges for creators amid rampant piracy and infringement.

Da Costa-Villaluz cited the site-blocking rules that disable access to entire piracy sites and the IPOPHL-facilitated E-Commerce Memorandum of Understanding, which grew from 45 signatories in January 2025 to 106 as of April 2025.

In the first quarter of 2025, IPOPHL recorded a 24.36% increase in copyright registrations to 1,700, up from 1,367 during the same period last year, reflecting growing awareness of the importance of IP protection.

However, copyright registrations of musical compositions comprised only 4.94% of total copyright registrations during the first quarter of 2025, while sound recordings made up 1.12%.

“‘Kay ganda ng ating musika.’ Protektahan natin ‘ang sariling atin,’” Da Costa-Villaluz said, quoting lines from the song “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika,” composed by National Artist and GYI awardee Ryan Cayabyab and performed by the late singer Hajji Alejandro.

The GYI Awards was graced by Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque, who underscored the vital contribution of IPOPHL as a key member of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council (PCIDC).

“As we pursue a whole-of-government approach to unlock opportunities for our creative industries and elevate Filipino talent, we are also forging global partnerships and embracing digital transformation to sharpen our country’s competitive edge,” Roque said.

“These efforts directly advance President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision for a ‘Bagong Pilipinas’—a nation that generates more quality jobs, delivers world-class Filipino-made products, fuels innovation, and strengthens pride in our homegrown industries,” she added.

In 2024, the creative economy contributed 7.3% to the country’s GDP with a value of PHP1.94 trillion—an 8.7% increase from PHP1.78 trillion in 2023.

Employment in the creative economy also rose, reaching 7.51 million in 2024 from 7.23 million the previous year, representing 15.4% of the nation’s total employment.