The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has named Teodoro Pascua as its new director general, marking a return for a veteran policymaker whose career bridges public service and private legal practice.
Pascua previously served at IPOPHL as deputy director general for Policy and Management Services from 2018 to 2022.
In that role, he oversaw critical operational and policy units, including the Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau, Management Information Service, and Financial Management and Administrative Service. He also supervised the IP Academy, the Policy and International Affairs Division, and the IP Enforcement Office—experience that gives him an insider’s grasp of the agency’s structure and priorities.
His reappointment comes as IPOPHL continues to push for stronger intellectual property protection and commercialization in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
Beyond IPOPHL, Pascua brings more than 15 years of senior government experience. He served as deputy director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority from 2010 to 2016, before moving to the Department of Trade and Industry as undersecretary for Consumer Protection from 2016 to 2018.
At DTI, he led initiatives to strengthen consumer rights enforcement and regulatory oversight, positioning the agency to respond to increasingly complex market dynamics.
In the private sector, Pascua is a partner at Yulo Aliling Pascua & Zuñiga Law Offices, where he resumed practice following his earlier government stints. His portfolio also includes leadership in academe, having served as chairman of the board of trustees of Wesleyan University–Philippines in Cabanatuan City.
His return to IPOPHL is expected to reinforce institutional continuity while advancing reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s innovation ecosystem.
