IPOPHL’s DG Barba, now part of ISA’s exemplary Fellows for his active push in governance reform

November 29, 2023

Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Director General Rowel S. Barba was recently added to the list of distinguished fellows of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) for his work in championing governance reform in the country. 

The ISA officially welcomed Barba into the 2023 Society of Fellows last November 17 during its Public Governance Forum. 

“I owe this to the hardworking and highly competent people at IPOPHL. Each one at IPOPHL has the kind of dedication and incredible expertise that inspires me everyday to give them the best version of myself, the best leader and public servant I can be,” Barba said at the conferral.

Under Barba’s leadership, IPOPHL has achieved heightened awareness on the importance of intellectual property (IP) protection and respect, capacitated more public and private educational institutions and recorded a faster processing time for applications and cases. 

He also expressed gratitude to Department of Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Jean T. Pacheco who has guided IPOPHL in its road to governance reform.

Members of the ISA’s Society of Fellows are top-level officials who advocate and propagate good governance and responsible citizenship in both public and private sectors, particularly by championing and promoting the Performance Governance System (PGS) within their organizations and networks.

The PGS is a program designed by the ISA to help offices set out a holistic and collaborative reform to develop and execute roadmaps for the long term. The program consists of four stages namely, (1) initiation, which focuses on strategy decision; (2) compliance, on strategy execution; (3) proficiency, on monitoring and evaluation; and (4) institutionalization, on achieving breakthrough results.

To recall, IPOPHL bagged last year the Silver Trailblazer Award for its governance in Proficiency. Having delivered stellar work to comply with the first three stages, IPOPHL is setting its sights to take home the gold in Institutionalization, the final stage. 

“In December 2023, we will be presenting our milestones, progress and goals in the PGS pathway. IPOPHL is pushing the envelope the next time we face the ISA, keeping in mind that the reforms and breakthrough results we achieve today will determine the future of our innovators, artists, entrepreneurs and businesses. We want that future to be a bright one for them,” Barba added.