IPOPHL calls for more green solutions as it extends GreenTech Program amid deadly natural disasters 

December 1, 2025

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has extended its Green Technology Incentive (GreenTech) Program, urging Filipino innovators to accelerate the development of eco-friendly and disaster-ready technologies amid a string of deadly natural disasters.  

Within the past two months alone, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu, which killed at least 79 people and dealt over a billion pesos in damage to infrastructure and communities. Meanwhile, the tropical cyclones Typhoon Tino and Super Typhoon Uwan have together caused nearly 300 fatalities. 

In light of these catastrophes, Acting Director General Nathaniel S. Arevalo called upon inventors, creators and socially oriented enterprises to intensify their work on green solutions that can support national disaster preparedness and environmental sustainability efforts. 

“We need innovations that can reduce our vulnerabilities and enhance our resilience against the increasing environmental crisis,” Arevalo said. “Government, industry and the innovation community must work together to develop technologies that protect lives, empower communities and ensure a resilient future for the Philippines.” 

To encourage such breakthroughs, IPOPHL extended its GreenTech Program through Memorandum Circular 2025-026 issued in November. The program offers fee waivers and expedited processing for qualified patent, utility model and industrial design applications covering sustainable or eco-friendly technologies. Eligible innovations must either improve environmental quality or contribute to renewable energy, energy efficiency, conservation or lower greenhouse gas emissions. 

IPOPHL’s call was also made during the 2025 Socially Relevant Technologies (SRT) Contest held last week. Themed “Sustainable Urban Development and Green Solutions,” the 6th SRT Contest highlights and rewards practical, high-impact technologies aimed at addressing urgent societal and environmental challenges. 

Echoing Arevalo’s message, Deputy Director General Ann Claire C. Cabochan emphasized the urgency for innovators to take action and encouraged them to engage with IPOPHL’s green initiatives. 

“Now is the time for Filipino innovators to turn ideas into solutions that safeguard our communities and the environment,” Cabochan said in her opening remarks at the SRT Contest held at the University of Makati. “IPOPHL stands ready to support their efforts, protecting their creations and guiding them toward commercialization so their innovations can make a lasting, meaningful impact on society and the planet.” # # # (Rawl Maliwat, Communications and Marketing Writer)