Rowel Barba, director general of the IPOPHL, sits down with Asia IP’s Excel V. Dyquiangco to talk about Covid-19, counterfeiting, and his vision for his office’s next leader.  

Rowel Barba’s tenure as director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has been one of both challenge and remarkable accomplishment. Faced with the unprecedented hurdles of the Covid-19 pandemic, he guided the organization through turbulent waters, emerging with a strengthened IP landscape and a renewed commitment to innovation and creativity. 

Barba took the helm in 2020, a time marked by economic anxieties and health concerns. Recognizing the need for agility, he implemented the BRIGHT Agenda, a strategic shift towards collaboration, customer service, IP awareness, human capital, going back to basics, and transforming IPOPHL into a fully digitized agency. This foresight not only ensured business continuity but also laid the groundwork for future resilience.  

As he reflected, “the biggest challenge was undoubtedly Covid-19. We were able to protect the health and safety of our staff by deploying the strategies and equipment required to operate remotely. By doing so, we sustained through webinars, electronic filing transactions, and even online hearings. Our early digitalization efforts, underscored in the BRIGHT Agenda, were key to service continuity and futureproofing.”  

He added: “The BRIGHT Agenda ensured that we would withstand the tests of the pandemic and other future crises. It brought about a shift in service delivery by ensuring that filers can access our eServices 24/7.” 

Apart from IPOPHL, as the Chair of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) from 2021 to 2023, he and his team achieved the target of 75 percent accomplishment of deliverables under the ASEAN IPR Action Plan (AIPRAP) 2016-2025. Adding this to his leadership portfolio, he assumed chairmanship for APEC Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group (IPEG) from 2023 to 2024. 

To empower its workforce, IPOPHL continues to develop its human resources through rigorous skills training while securing the prestigious CSC PRIME HRM Stage 2, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to exemplify human resources excellence in public service. Nonetheless, its team continues to refine governance reform by achieving the Performance Governance System (PGS) Silver Trailblazer Award from the Institute For Solidarity in Asia (ISA) during the Stage 3 revalidation. Presently, he and his team are now striving to finish the final stage of the PGS framework before his term expires at the end of 2024. 

“Thanks to the recovery of IP filings, the partnerships we have weaved, and the hard work of the entire agency, we started seeing record-breaking financial performance in 2021,” he said. “Thus, finally, after several years of looking for a permanent home, we were able to purchase an office space where IPOPHL can continue to operate while saving on long-term costs.” 

He added, “Throughout the wins and hurdles, the best tool in our arsenal was our push for the nation's increased awareness of IP rights. This enables our stakeholders to strengthen discourse about the IP system, which is our strongest driving force towards economic change.” 

Counterfeiting and anti-piracy campaigns 

In terms of counterfeiting, the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR), led by the IPOPHL, marked record-breaking seizures in 2021 with goods worth P24.9 billion (US$427.7 million); that record was broken in 2023 with P26.86 billion (US$460.3 million) worth of infringing goods seized.  

He said: “The whole-of-nation approach to IP enforcement was critical to this success. The use of social media to amplify awareness was a primary driving force for citizens and rights holders to submit reports of infringement. In turn, our partners at the NCIPR were able to successfully remove infringing goods from the market and hold violators accountable.” 

Meanwhile, stronger, and more strategic anti-piracy awareness campaigns are now in place to build more conversations surrounding responsible content consumption. Its efforts with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and IPOPHL anti-piracy ambassador and actor Matteo Guidicelli continue to generate more interest and appreciation for the IP system. 

“Additionally, I am happy to see that the voluntary site-blocking mechanism is now fully functioning,” he said. “Rights holders, with the help of internet service providers (ISPs), can now request the take-down of pirate sites through the IEO. This way, complainants can follow a more streamlined procedure to make sure that their pirated content is effectively removed from the platforms and its other mirror sites.” 

Future leaders and generations 

Now that his term draws to a close at the end of 2024, he hopes that the next director general will have a keen vision to sustain projects and programs that focus on fostering public trust. He said that its upcoming technology transfer program, partnered with WIPO, is a promising opportunity for cross-sector economic progress. 

He said: “In terms of management, servant leadership is a focal approach. At the start of my tenure, in the very wake of the pandemic, employee health and well-being must be prioritized more than ever. Active listening through staff consultation, balanced by a political will for matters requiring immediate decision, was paramount to our swift recovery. We have also laid the groundwork for the next IPOPHL leader to continue building partnerships – from the grassroots to the global landscape. We must see how IP works through varied perspectives to make way for a better system that is inclusive and adaptable.” 

With the creative economy suffering millions of dollars in revenue losses yearly, with 49 percent of Filipinos admitting to accessing pirate services online in 2022, the plan to curb this mass-scale infringement goes beyond the confines of awareness. He said that everyone must ingrain that IP rights is the very cornerstone of creativity and innovation.  

“As such, the incoming director general must maintain the momentum of the current enforcement mechanisms.  

We must continue to actively prevent further losses by strengthening our collaboration with law enforcement agencies, ISPs and rights holders. The next to take the helm must lead with the vision of transforming the Philippines into an IP hub where digital creators thrive,” he said. 

Considering the importance of intellectual property for future generations, here is his advice for the next generation of leaders and innovators in the Philippines to foster a culture of creativity. 

“Curiosity fuels creativity,” he said. “We should be relentless in our mission to bring IP education to Filipinos, especially our youth. At an early age, our future generation must realize the importance of IP and the evils of counterfeiting and piracy. The more the public learns, the richer our creative reservoir becomes. So, I encourage our youth to take advantage of the tools available to them. IPOPHL continues to produce online educational content about IP rights. Our team goes from school to school to ensure that IP learning is not left behind.”  

He said that likewise, young creators are encouraged to take part in the Youth IP Incentive (YIPI) program. Through YIPI, young inventors, designers and entrepreneurs can file for their IPs at a reduced cost.  

He said: “Once young creators are incentivized, protection ensures that their ideas remain their own and encourages other youths to do the same. Our youth filers are the future leaders of IP, and they are presently paving the way for an ecosystem where creativity is not stifled by the forces of infringement.” 

Barba’s leadership has undoubtedly shaped the landscape of intellectual property in the Philippines. His legacy extends beyond milestones and achievements, serving as an inspiration for future generations to embrace innovation, protect rights, and propel the nation towards a brighter, more creative future.