The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is encouraging Filipino innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurs to protect their intellectual property (IP) and showcase their work through the Presidential Filipinnovation Awards (PFA), which now requires entries to feature a technology with a registered IP or at least an existing IP application.

In a statement on Friday, March 6, IPOPHL Deputy Director General Ann Claire Credo-Cabochan underscored how initiatives such as PFA support the IPOPHL’s mission of advancing world-class Filipino inventions into the market.

“It is our mission to establish a strong IP system that supports innovation that would inspire our inventors, our creators, our scientists to produce more products and services that have an impact on our lives, which will improve the way we live, which will help our businesses grow and which will impact positively on economic development," she said.

IPOPHL, an ex-officio member of the National Innovation Council (NIC), also highlighted that IP registration is now a requirement for those submitting entries to the awards.

“So we encourage—and it is now a requirement—that all our inventors, creators, scientists and researchers who would submit an entry for this award, and even those who are creating and inventing, to register their trademark, patents, utility models and industrial designs with IPOPHL,” Credo-Cabochan said.

“It is through registration that your IP is protected. It is also through registration that you are able to commercialize, that you are able to attract investors, and that you are able to scale up the production of your products and access local and foreign markets,” she added.

PFA is the Philippines’ highest honor for outstanding, early-stage or market-ready Filipino innovations that drive national development. Established under Executive Order (EO) No. 99, the annual competition is organized by NIC and implemented by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev).

Eligible applicants must be Filipino citizens or enterprises that are at least 60-percent Filipino-owned and duly registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA). Their innovations must already be at the early stage of commercialization—such as having a functional prototype or operational model—and must have proof of IP registration or an ongoing IP application.

Five finalists with the highest final rankings in the national competition will receive the PFA. Finalists and awardees will also receive grants and access to post-competition support.

Interested applicants may register, complete the application form, and submit the required documents through the PFA portal. The application period runs until March 15, 2026.