IPO prepares groundwork for biotech products patent system

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the Philippines is studying and preparing the groundwork for the establishment of a patents system for biotechnology research.

According to IP Philippines director-general Adrian Cristobal, the Philippines is at the forefront of biotechnology research and may benefit from patenting its biotechnology research work.

By patenting the country’s biotechnology research, Cristobal said, the country can ask for royalty for a period of 20 years on the technology before it becomes public domain.

However, Cristobal admitted, the IP Philippines has to seek assistance from developed countries such as the United States on how to go about the process and do capacity building.

The importance of biotechnology has already been recognized by the Department of Agriculture which recently approved  P45 million-worth of applied biotechnology research projects this year.

The nine approved biotechnology projects aim to improve the production of rice, coconut, papaya and abaca and increase yields of macapuno through mass propagation.

The government promotes the safe and responsible use of modern biotechnology for food security, equitable access to health services, environmental protection and industry development.

According to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, biotechnology is integral to President Arroyo’s 10-point development agenda because it helps improve agricultural production and creates more jobs in the farm sector.

"Biotechnology would also accelerate the development of the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, one of the super regions identified by the President, leading to reduced farm imports and more foreign exchange savings," Yap said.

The DA-approved biotechnology projects for 2007 include the following;

A P1-million project to increase rice production by using improved hybrid rice lines which would be implemented by the Philippine Rice Research Institute; a P1.5-million project be carried out by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)  to manage and prevent the spread of brontispa disease which is a prevalent threat in the coconut industry; a P1.93-million project of the PCA-Albay Research Center to clone and mass propagate high-yield coconuts