Last week, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) held its annual Gawad Yamang Isip (GYI) Awards, the top IP and excellence awards in the country. This year, the office put the spotlight on the people who have become pillars of the music industry and who are driving progress to put Philippine music on the global stage.

The criteria is in line with World Intellectual Property (IP) Day every 26 April — “IP and Music: Feel the beat of IP” — and IPOPHL’s National IP Month theme — “Bringing the Pinoy Beat to the World” — a celebration which is truly close to the heart of Filipinos who love serenades and are very competitive in karaoke.

Among the awardees were Jericho Castro and Ricky Angcos, two dedicated public school teachers from Taguig City, who received the Inventions Award for their “Jerichord.” The innovation is a user-friendly, three-semitone guitar string system designed to simplify chord learning, helping more students access music education.

The awardees said the Jerichord was born out of a critical need during the pandemic, when their challenges in teaching were aggravated due to the shift to online mode.

The Literary Works Award was granted to legendary OPM artist Rey Valera, whose iconic compositions have become enduring pieces in Filipino music history. The crowd went wild when he sang “Kumusta Ka?” and “Maging Sino Ka Man,” to which the audience joined in chorus. The cheers cut across the young and young at heart, showing how timeless his songs truly are.

Internationally acclaimed performer Lea Salonga took home the GYI Performing Arts Awards. She was most noted for her role in Miss Saigon and for two beloved Disney princess songs. More importantly, she has inspired more Filipino performers to break through on the global stage, undeniably a feat that makes her deserving of such a lifetime award.

Among the awardees were Jericho Castro and Ricky Angcos, two dedicated public school teachers from Taguig City.

Regine Velasquez, widely known as Asia’s Songbird, was honored in the Trademarks category. This was a surprise because when it comes to music, many would think copyright and related rights are the stars of the IP family. But the Songbird proved that IP protection extends to having a registered brand — hers being “Asia’s Songbird” and “Regine Velasquez.” This could inspire artists to combine creative and commercial successes through brand ownership.

On top of its major GYI awards, IPOPHL also honored over 30 individual and institutional partners. Among them was SM Investments Corp. represented by Atty. Leah Lara & Atty. Frankie Alba.

As a consultant to SM, I am proud to be part of a company that is deeply engaged in IPOPHL’s ongoing trademark initiatives and that has contributed to the success of many major trademark events. I am ever grateful to the company for its voluntary commitment to help IPOPHL back then when I was director general. As one of the largest and most influential brands in the Philippines, SM’s collaboration with IPOPHL helped advance trademark practices in the country.

Being in the GYI last week brought a wave of nostalgia to my heart, seeing people whom I’ve worked with and treated as family — and still do. I also had the pleasure of finally meeting new IPOPHL Director General Brigitte da Costa-Villaluz whom I congratulated for the success of the event. She reminded me that we had already met in college during our pre-law days in UP Diliman.

It was a meaningful celebration of the power of Philippine music, of the icons who have made us proud of Philippine talent and genius, and of the deep collaborations IPOPHL is building to rise, shine and beckon others towards innovation and creativity.