CENTRAL MINDANAO UNIVERSITY GRANTED WITH PLATINUM AWARD FROM IPOPHL

Central Mindanao University received a Platinum Award to recognize CMU Intellectual Property and Technology Business Management (IPTBM) office’s excellent performance. It is the highest recognition award from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and is only given to the top-performing Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) of IPOPHL.

The university’s IPTBM was formerly called the Intellectual Property Licensing Office (IPLO). It has been an ITSO member since August 19, 2019 during the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between CMU and IPOPHL in Makati City. Dr. Vellorimo J. Suminguit became the Project Manager of the CMU ITSO and the Project Leader of IPTBM, a DOST-PCAARRD funded project that eventually became the name of the CMU intellectual property office.

The IPTBM has trained over 200 faculty members on patent claim drafting between July 2016 to December 2020, resulting in the filing of 109 intellectual properties (IPs) with IPOPHL. During the same period, the CMU Press filed copyright with the National Library that contributed 27 copyright registrations. CMU now has a total of 136 IPs filed. Currently, 58% percent of the IPs filed had already been granted with Certificates of Registration.

This success would not have been possible without CMU Administrations’ support, especially the former President, Dr. Maria Luisa R. Soliven, and the present President, Dr. Jesus Antonio G. Derije. The funding support of DOST-PCAARRD through the project “Enhancing the Intellectual Property and Technology Business Management (IP-TBM) Operations in Central Mindanao University (CMU) headed by Dr. Suminguit has contributed significantly to this success. Through the guidance of Dr. Noel A. Catibog, OIC Director of the Technology Transfer and Promotion Division (TTPD) of PCAARRD, and the IPTBM Batch 2 Program Manager, Grecelda Sanchez A. Eusebio, an IP licensing officer of the Forest Product Research Development Institute of PCAARRD, two CMU IP personnel attended comprehensive training provided by PCAARRD through its IP Master Class, Technology Transfer and Commercialization Mentorship Series. The 10-month training sharpened the skills of the CMU IPTBM Personnel, enhancing their capacities to assist inventors and technology creators in IP filings and prosecution. The office is also indebted to the IP experts of IPOPHL who, in addition to CMU IP personnel, served as resource speakers during patent claim drafting training. These experts are Mr. Dindo Umali, Engr. Emmanuel M. Mendoza, and Engr. Eric C. Paden, and Ms. Maria Leidy Caballe-Gatuz, ITSO Coordinator. The latter serves as a link between CMU IPTBM and the various bureaus of IPOPHL.

This success is also attributed to CMU faculty researchers who willingly converted their technical reports into patent specifications. It is also impossible to attain success without the support of the senior personnel and office staff of IPTBM. The office acknowledges Dr. Gamaliela A. Dumancas, the Assistant IPTBM Project Leader and Technology Transfer Unit Chief, for her able leadership during Dr. Suminguit’s sabbatical leave. The IPTBM director appreciates the special skills of Dr. Dumancas in negotiating with the administration technocrats to ensure that supplies and materials are procured despite the complex bidding process. Her leadership in developing a system of office operation that meets quality assurance and ISO standards is highly appreciated. Behind her are intellectual Property Licensing Unit Chief Yuyen Tan, Associate Technology Licensing Officer Engr. Constancio M. Verula, Project-Paid Science Research Assistant Ritchelle Mae Agustin-Sanchez, and the CMU office staff counterpart Miss Salve Regina Gracia Renacia, Mary Christyvonne Sacasac, and Angela Mae R. Inson.

Vel J. Suminguit, Ph.D.
Director (on Sabbatical Leave), IPTBM
Project Leader, IPTBM Phase I & Phase II Project
Manager, ITSO