The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) recently inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Chanum Foundation — the managing institution of the beloved local arts and culture center Tam-awan Village in Baguio City — to strengthen the protection of Cordilleran artists’ intellectual property (IP) rights and preserve the region’s artistic heritage through IP.
Under the MOU signed between IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba and Chanum Foundation President Jordan Mang-osan, IPOPHL and the Tam-awan Village will work together to preserve the region’s culture and heritage through arts development, protection, commercialization and internationalization of original Cordilleran IPs and creative works.
IPOPHL will primarily boost the foundation’s knowledge on how to protect copyright and raise awareness through new or existing programs and initiatives.
Tam-awan, meaning “vantage point” in the local dialect, is a known tourist destination in Baguio City that features various Cordilleran paintings, sculptures, choreographies and native architecture.
Barba commended the work of the Tam-awan Village for “inspiring Filipinos to develop a deep sense of cultural consciousness.”
Highlighting the many invaluable assets treasured by the Cordilleran heritage, Barba stressed the value of safeguarding their IP not just for its monetary value that can elevate artists’ livelihoods but for its contributions to the country as the region’s art proved to be “an important strand of the Philippine identity.”
“Like the Tam-awan Village, I hope the partnership we seal today deepens your people’s perspectives not only on indigenous art but also on copyright and IP. The MOU will hopefully, too, give us a ‘vantage point’ on how we can together move forward to promote and protect our artists,” Barba said.
The partnership was facilitated by the Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights (BCRR) which coordinated with the Tam-awan Village to identify the copyright-related needs that would be addressed by the MOU.
“We have sat down and listened to many of the Tam-awan artists who have expressed their need to learn how to fend for their copyright-based works. Through tireless coordination with the group, we have finally established a MOU to better serve their needs through programs, projects and other activities that can foster capacity-building,” BCRR Director Emerson G. Cuyo said.
