By Veronica Uy
The Philippine Business and News (THEPHILBIZNEWS) has received a citation from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for innovation in media at the recently held Gawad Yamang Isip Awards.
Monsi Alfonso Serrano, President and CEO of the independent online news outfit, received the award for Best Independent Platform for IP News, from IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Trade and Industry Undersecretary Allan Gepty received the IP Champions award for greatly contributing to the development of the IP system in the Philippines.
Other recipients of the IP citations include Dr. Armando Reosura and Dr. Lizah Dorao-Pascual for inventor assistance program, and Amina Aranaz-Alunan for women in IP.
Recipients for enforcement includes World Intellectual Property Organizations (WIPO-Building Respect for IP Division and Judicial Institute), Giannmatteo Vittorio Guidicelli, Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, Associate Justice Maria Rowena Modesto-San Pedro, the Bureau of Customs, Manix Abrera, the National Book Development Board, PLDT/Smart, Globe Telecom, SkyCable Corporation, and Dito Telecommunity.
The other recipients of the IP citations for media are Daily Tribune and Radyo Pilipinas.
The WIPO National Award was conferred to Engineer Mark Kennedy Bantugon, who invented the Pili Seal, a sustainable aviation sealant crafted from the often-overlooked waste material of the pili tree resin.
WIPO also recognized 2023 socially relevant technologies from the following: The Bansud National High School-Regional High School for Mimaropa for its “chitosan-loaded cellulosic membrane for wastewater filtration derived from acetobacter xylinum and Philippine blue-eyed sea urchin shell wastes,” the Technological University of the Philippines for its “automated superworm segregation system for multiplastic biodegadation using ESP32 with computer vision for real-time monitoring via mobile application,” and Mapua University-Intramuros for its “automated levelling delivery bracket attachment.”
In the professional category, WIPO recognized Session Groceries for its “ugly to agri” processing technology, Vision Technologies Corp. for its vision-based traffic information analysis, and Lithos Manufacturing for its foldable tank with zeramic filter (rainwater harvesting system for water security in remote areas).
The Gawad Yamang Isip awards, which recognize Filipinos who used the IP system to advance the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were awarded to D&L Industries, for its Laurin CocoMCT, the concentrated form of all-natural coconut oil; Stanley Ruiz, for industrial design, particularly the use of “bakong,” the aquatic plant, into biocomposite bins and other biodegradable material;
Performer Gary Valenciano for his support and advocacy of IP, specifically copyright; glass sculptor Ramon Orlina for his dedication to his craft and his proactive stance on copyright registration; and the social enterprise Rag2Riches for transforming unwanted fabric into bags and other fashionable products.