PH

The Filipino Inventors Society (FIS) is a duly registered non-government organization of Filipino inventors who hold patents to their works in the Philippines or abroad. Its membership has been widened to accommodate professionals and entrepreneurs who espouse its cause to develop Philippine indigenous technology and innovations.
FIS was established in 1943 by founding fathers Teo Purungganan, Pastor Reyes-Torres, and Dalmacio Buenaventura in the heat of World War II during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. In the same year, Manuel G. Goyena was inaugurated as the first FIS President in the elections conducted at the Bureau of Science Building in the City of Manila (this historical building has been reduced to rubble in the midst of aerial bombings during the Battle of Manila in 1945). In 1953, 8 years after the Second World War, FIS was incorporated as a non-stock, non-profit organization.

In 1957, FIS hosted the first Philippine National Exhibition of Inventions. For the first time in history, local inventors and innovators from all over the Philippines had the chance to showcase their technologies. This laid the foundations for the Philippine government’s awareness of the importance of invention and technological development at the time. This burgeoning renaissance pioneered by the efforts of Filipino inventors comprising FIS led to the creation of the Philippine Inventors Commission (PIC) in 1964. PIC was a state-mandated institution that specialized in providing assistance and support to Filipino inventors, which would advocate the development of the nation’s technology and the fostering of scientific research. This all came to fruition through Republic Act No. 3850, or the “Philippine Inventors Incentives Act” under Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal’s regime.
FIS in cooperation with PIC organized the first National Inventors Week in 1967. This was a week-long observance wherein amateur and professional inventors throughout the country competed for glory in a national contest that exhibited their inventions and technologies. The National Inventors Week, or NIW, was a government-supported annual national event under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ Proclamation 187.
Heeding a petition by FIS, President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1423 in the year 1978, which amended the original Philippine Inventors Incentive Act of 1964, establishing an “Invention Guarantee Fund” appropriated from the National Treasury and the grants program by the then-active National Science Development Board (NSDB) which was deposited in the Development Bank of the Philippines to “guarantee the unsecured portion of industrial loans for the exploitation and manufacture of any patented Filipino invention, utility model or industrial design.” The Invention Guarantee Fund included grants for prototyping as well as research and development. PD 1423 also bestowed a five-year tax exemption starting from the date of the first sale in the manufacture and commercialization of inventors’ intellectual properties.
The Philippine Inventors Commission (PIC) was renamed into the Philippine Invention Development Institute (PIDI) in 1982.
In 1987, Philippine President Corazon Aquino disbanded PIDI. PIDI was functionally succeeded by the Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI) under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
With President Aquino’s rule, PD 1423 was terminated along with its benefits to Filipino inventors and, by extension, the country. But its spirit whose origins can be traced back to 1943 was revived with the successful legislation of Republic Act No. 7459 or the “Inventor and Inventions Incentives Act of 1992”, in which FIS is included among the primary certifying authorities and as the foremost organization in accordance to this Act, having spearheaded this cause from the very beginning. RA 7459 and all of its provisions remain active up until this day.
Internationally, FIS is the Philippine representative for and serves as a voting member of the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA), a global organization of inventors and innovators from all corners of the world whose headquarters can be found in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, FIS was one of the advocates for the ASEAN Patent Treaty or ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation (ASPEC) which is a coordinated effort for facilitating invention patent development and intellectual property protection between nine ASEAN member states.

Inv. Ronald Pagsanghan is a multi-award-winning inventor and the current President of the Filipino Inventors Society. With a passion for innovation, Pagsanghan has traveled the world, gaining insights into cutting-edge technologies and techniques. He has sought to incorporate these experiences into his work to improve local innovation in the Philippines and contribute to the world at large.
Throughout his career, Pagsanghan has made significant contributions to the field of invention, earning him numerous awards and recognitions. He has an impressive track record of developing innovative solutions to address real-world problems, and his inventions have been showcased in various exhibitions and are being practically applied throughout the Philippines.

As the President of the Filipino Inventors Society, Inv. Pagsanghan is committed to fostering a culture of innovation in the Philippines and supporting local inventors in their endeavors. With his extensive knowledge and experience, he is a valuable asset to the society and the wider community.
Pagsanghan’s administration policy emphasizes the sustenance and elevation of Filipino inventors regardless of social status by mediating collaboration between the government and other stakeholders such that the innovation ecosystem in the country continues to thrive.
Overall, Inv. Ronald Pagsanghan is a highly accomplished inventor and a true champion of innovation, whose dedication and hard work have made a significant impact in the field of invention in the Philippines.

Incumbent National Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Filipino Inventors Society Inc. A multi-awarded Filipino Inventor with more than forty (40) registered patents with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. An M.B.A. graduate from the Asian Institute of Management and a B.S. Industrial Management Engineer — Mechanical Engineer from De La Salle University Manila. An Entrepreneur involved in the design & manufacture of plastic products using the technology of plastic rotational molding.

In the international scene, FIS became the bonafide Philippines full voting member of the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA) then based in Switzerland. In 1998, IFIA attended the launching in Manila of the Philippine Independence Centennial Yearbook titled Inventions and Innovations: A Glimpse of the Filipino Legacy by FIS Director Virgilio Malang published by WIPO and DOST, with a copy furnished each to all IFIA member countries. FIS was a proponent of the ASEAN Patent Treaty which aims to facilitate the registration and protection of IP rights among the Asian neighbors.