WIPO, IPOPHL step up cooperation on Philippine IP
02 October 2026
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) director general Daren Tang concluded a four-day visit to the Philippines, where he attended the 58th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) meeting and met with senior government officials, innovation stakeholders, academic leaders and business representatives.
He had a dialogue with leaders across government, the private sector and the creative economy on how innovation is now key to the country’s growth agenda. He also highlighted the growing body of Philippine IP decisions available through WIPO Lex and discussed future cooperation.
At the regional level, the AEM-WIPO consultation brought together ASEAN ministers to discuss strengthening the role of IP and innovation in building resilient and competitive economies, including commercialization, valuation, financing and management of intangible assets.
In a LinkedIn post, Tang said: “It was evident across government, the judiciary, universities, industry and the creative community, with many hands pulling in the same direction: the Philippines is moving beyond IP as legal protection to IP as a way of helping test, fund and commercialize home-grown technologies and take them to the world.”
During the visit, WIPO and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) launched the “Scaling the Reach of Intellectual Property Services to Half a Million Entrepreneurs through a Partnership Model.” Tang also launched a new joint master’s degree program with De La Salle University to develop IP management professionals and signed a memorandum of understanding in support of the programme.
He also met with the Government Service Insurance System and representatives of private banks to explore IP-based financing for startups and technology-driven businesses, while talks with the Department of Science and Technology explored collaboration to support homegrown technologies from the laboratory to the market.
The initiatives and discussions above were among Tang’s engagements during the visit.
Growing IP momentum
The visit comes amid several developments reflecting the Philippines’ wider engagement with WIPO and the global innovation ecosystem.
The Philippines was recently featured in WIPO’s World Intangible Investment Highlights 2026, which identified the country as having the third-fastest growth in intangible investment among the 15 largest economies covered by the study. Intangible investment grew by 4.6 percent between 2021 and 2022, the latest available period for the Philippines, while the report marked the first time the Philippines was included in its cross-country estimates.
WIPO also selected the Philippines as its first pilot country for its Creative Economy Data Model (CEDM), resulting in the country’s first Creative Ecosystem National Diagnostic Report. The report found that creative industries contributed 7.8 percent of gross domestic product and 17.8 percent of total employment in 2025.
Earlier this year, the Philippines further participated in global IP policymaking by assuming the chairship of the 68th Series of Meetings of the WIPO Assemblies of Member States, where it presided over discussions on the organization’s work and future policy directions.
The country’s innovation performance has also gained international recognition. In the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII), the Philippines ranked 52nd among 139 economies. WIPO also identified the Philippines among the middle-income economies in the top 70 that have made the strongest long-term advances since 2013.
For IPOPHL director general Teodoro C. Pascua, Tang’s visit provides an opportunity to further strengthen the Philippines’ longstanding partnership with WIPO while bringing Philippine priorities, experiences and initiatives into international IP discussions.
“This is an important moment for Philippine IP. The Philippines is no longer simply observing global conversations on innovation and IP. We are increasingly contributing to and helping shape them,” Pascua said.
- Asia IP
