NAGA CITY (PIA)— More than 30 participants attended the 2-day Intellectual Property (IP) seminar conducted by the Center for Arts Development of Naga College Foundation (NCF), in partnership with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) on February 27 to 28.
The activity was held at the V Gallery x Museum, the first art gallery in Naga City, and part of the new NCF Liboton Extension Campus.
"My great-grandfather, Melchor Villanueva, had a passion for culture and arts. Through this center, we envision igniting the passion of aspiring artists and helping them develop and grow, and we also aim to create a support system that can help nurture aspiring artists," Naga College Foundation (NCF) Center for Arts Development Director Mark Franco V. Reyes said.
The seminar was provided without charge to encourage Bicolano artists to encourage those working in the arts to protect their priceless masterpieces from being ‘stolen’ and misrepresented as the works of others.
City Mayor Nelson Legacion also supports this endeavor.
"For us, appreciating art does not conclude with marveling at the ingenuity of this creative works, but goes onward by giving due recognition and reward to the artist behind them. And one way of doing so is to empower them by upholding their interests and protecting the rights to the products of their intellect," Legacion stated.
The lecture just served as an introduction to a deepened engagement between NCF and IPOPHL and a partnership with the local administration.
Right after the seminar, members of the IPOPHL Executive Committee met with local representatives of Naga City to discuss how to strengthen the local intellectual property system.
Director Ralph Jarvis Alindogan of the Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau of IPOPHL head, Director Emerson Cuyo of the Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights, and Supervising Director Christine Pangilinan-Canlapan of the IP Enforcement Office sat down to discuss IP-related issues.
NCF's Director for the Institute of Innovation and Continuing Education Patricia Liana Ramo initiated the said meeting.
Naga City Investment Board Head Reuel Oliver and City Councilor Jose Perez, who also sits as Head of the Committee on the Culture and Arts represented Mayor Legacion in the said meeting. Department of Trade and Industry Provincial Office was also represented by Senior Trade and Industry Specialist Rose dela Trinidad.
Cuyo believed that personally visiting the regions and connecting with the local artists is recommended to identify the gaps in terms of protecting the valuable artworks of various artists.
“We acknowledged the challenge of supporting artists who come from various backgrounds, and of different specializations,” Cuyo said. Oliver also welcomes the proposal of the IPOPHL to conduct an IP policy and anti-counterfeit and anti-piracy (ACAP) policy workshop for local public servants.
Dela Trinidad stated that he supports the "strengthening of IP awareness and seeks to incorporate IP as a module topic in their future training programs for MSMEs," although the task is not as simple as it initially appears to be.
After the discussion, the NCF directors in attendance agreed to host another IP and ACAP policy seminars with IPOPHL. "Education is vital, and we have to meet them on both ends. We aim to empower people who are already working in the field and we seek to educate those who are still in school," said Ramo. (With reports from NCF-PIA5/Camarines Sur)
Cover photo credits|| NCF
