Two products. Two provinces. Two ongoing applications for Geographical Indication registration in 2026.
One of them comes from my mom's home province of Bohol. The other comes from the municipality I work to support every day as DTI OTOP Technical Staff in Surigao del Norte.
Both of them are telling the same story — that Filipino products with deep roots in specific places, specific soils, specific traditions, are finally getting the legal protection they have always deserved.
This is that story.
First — What Is a Geographical Indication?
Before the two products, a quick explanation — because GI is one of those terms that sounds bureaucratic but actually means something very practical for Filipino farmers, producers, and consumers.
A Geographical Indication — GI — is a legal designation that links a product to its place of origin. It says: this product is what it is because of where it comes from. The soil. The climate. The generations of traditional knowledge that shaped how it is made.
The most famous GI in the world is Champagne — sparkling wine can only be called Champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France. Everything else, no matter how good, is just sparkling wine. The name is protected. The origin is the brand.
The Philippines currently has four officially registered GIs: Guimaras Mangoes, Aklan Piña, Alburquerque Asin Tibuok, and Tau Sebu T'nalak.
Two more are now in the pipeline — one from Bohol, one from Surigao del Norte. And I have a personal connection to both.
Story One: Bohol Ubi Kinampay — The Purple Gold Rush
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| Photo Credit to IPOPHIL |
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines welcomed the application for GI registration of the renowned Bohol Ubi Kinampay — filed by the Provincial Government of Bohol through the Bohol Economic Development and Investment Promotion Office — seeking to formally recognize the qualities, reputation, and cultural heritage of the crop that are inherently linked to the province's geography, soil, climate, and traditional farming practices.
Known for its naturally violet flesh, earthy aroma, and rich flavor, the Bohol Ubi Kinampay has long been regarded as the "queen of Philippine yams."
Why now? Because the world has discovered ube — and the demand is enormous.
The Philippines exported about 1.7 million kilograms of ube products worth $3.2 million (₱193 million) in 2025 — a sharp 20.4% increase from 2024. Ube lattes in Los Angeles. Ube croissants in London. Ube ice cream in Tokyo. The purple Filipino yam has gone genuinely global.
But here is the problem underneath the success.
Despite record exports, domestic ube production has slipped to approximately 14,000 tons — and the Philippines has begun importing purple yams from Vietnam to satisfy local demand. International boba shops and industrial bakeries have begun using purple sweet potato as a convenient stand-in — visually similar, but lacking the botanical soul and floral aroma of the authentic Philippine yam.
Fake ube. Substitute ube. Ube from other countries being sold as Filipino ube.
This is exactly what GI protection is designed to prevent. "The world is now in the middle of a purple gold rush, and GI protection can help the Philippines stake its claim in the growing global demand by strengthening its market identity and position," IPOPHL Director General Teodoro Pascua said. "As ube becomes more global, we must make sure the roots of varieties from the country are not lost. GI protection helps ensure that the true heart of the Bohol Ubi Kinampay — its soil, story and people — remain Boholano and Filipino."
If approved, Bohol Ubi Kinampay would become the second locally protected GI from Bohol, following Alburquerque Asin Tibuok. IPOPHL is currently reviewing the submitted Manual of Specifications covering the product description, geographic production area, production methods, quality control measures, standards, labeling rules, and evidence linking the crop's distinct qualities to Bohol's natural conditions.
My personal connection to this story: My mom is Boholana — born and raised in Lila, Bohol. She has been cooking with Bohol's native ingredients her entire life. The ube her generation grew up with — the real Kinampay, grown in Bohol soil, with that specific aroma and color — is exactly what this GI application is trying to protect. She did not need IPOPHL to tell her it was special. She has known her whole life. The paperwork is just the world finally catching up.
Story Two: Gigaquit Rum — Surigao del Norte's Nipa Heritage
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| Photo Credit: DTI-Surigao del Norte |
Six hundred kilometers north of Bohol, in the municipality of Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte — a parallel story is unfolding.
Gigaquit Rum — locally known as Pauroy or Laksoy — is a traditional spirit distilled from naturally fermented nipa palm sap. The nipa palm grows abundantly in Gigaquit, and the rum produced from its sap has been part of the municipality's identity for generations, long before bottled alcohol became commercially dominant.
In March 2026, the LGU of Gigaquit took a formal step toward protecting that identity.
The draft GI application for Gigaquit Rum was presented by DTI Surigao del Norte and discussed during the 36th Session of the Sangguniang Bayan of Gigaquit on March 10, 2026 — marking a significant step toward securing official recognition for the municipality's traditional rum as a product uniquely linked to its place of origin.
The Gigaquit local council plans to enact an ordinance establishing a GI Control Body to oversee compliance with product specifications and standards. It will also pass a resolution authorizing Mayor Chandru T. Bonite to file and pursue the application for the registration of "Gigaquit Rum" as a Geographical Indication with IPOPHL.
Key roles have been assigned across partner agencies: the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator will prepare the geographic map and production area description. The Department of Agriculture will assist in strengthening the Gigaquit Rum Producers Association. And DTI Surigao del Norte — my office — will provide technical support in documenting and completing the required annexes for the GI application.
My personal connection to this story: I have designed product labels for Gigaquit Rum as part of my work at DTI Surigao del Norte. I have seen the bottles. I have read the product specifications. I know the cooperative behind it and the tradition it represents. Gigaquit Rum is not just a product we support — it is one of Surigao del Norte's most authentic expressions of local identity, and watching it move toward GI registration is one of the more meaningful things my office has been part of.
Why Both of These Matter — Beyond the Applications
Two GI applications from two provinces, both moving through the system in 2026. Here is the bigger picture.
GI protection is economic protection for small producers.
When Gigaquit Rum gets GI status, any company anywhere in the Philippines — or the world — that tries to sell a generic nipa rum under the Gigaquit name can be legally challenged. The cooperative of nipa farmers in Gigaquit who have been making this rum for generations gets legal ownership of their product's identity. That is not a bureaucratic win. That is a livelihood protection.
The same applies to Bohol's ube farmers. When Bohol Ubi Kinampay has GI protection, the purple sweet potato being sold as Filipino ube in overseas markets has a legal problem. The Boholano farmers who grow the real thing get the market position they deserve.
GI protection is also cultural preservation.
GI registration can help preserve traditional and organic farming practices that give the Bohol-grown variety its distinct aroma, texture, and color — amid growing concerns over the increased use of synthetic fertilizers.
The same principle applies to Gigaquit Rum — the traditional nipa palm fermentation and distillation process that gives Laksoy its character is at risk of being replaced by cheaper, faster, less authentic production methods if the market cannot distinguish the original from a substitute.
GI registration says: the traditional way has legal value. It is not just heritage. It is intellectual property.
This is what OTOP was always supposed to do.
The One Town One Product program — which I have been part of since 2020 through DTI Surigao del Norte — is built on the premise that every Philippine municipality has something unique, something rooted in its specific place and people, that deserves to be elevated and protected.
Gigaquit Rum is Gigaquit's OTOP product. It is the municipality's OTOP for Surigao del Norte province. And the GI application is the most powerful form of protection OTOP philosophy can receive — legal recognition that this product is genuinely, irreplaceably from here.
What Happens Next
For Bohol Ubi Kinampay: IPOPHL is currently in the review phase — evaluating the submitted Manual of Specifications before proceeding to the examination and publication stages. If approved, it becomes the Philippines' fifth registered GI and Bohol's second.
For Gigaquit Rum: The LGU is completing the application requirements — the geographic map, the production documentation, the Manual of Operations — before the formal filing with IPOPHL. DTI Surigao del Norte continues to provide technical support through that process.
Neither application has been approved yet. The process takes time — documentation, review, examination, publication, and a period for any opposition to be filed. But both are moving forward. Both are real. And both represent something genuinely worth protecting.
Before I Close This Tab
A purple yam from Bohol. A nipa rum from Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte.
One from my mom's province. One from my office's municipality.
Both of them telling the world: this product is what it is because of where it comes from. The soil. The climate. The people who have been making it for generations before anyone put it in a GI application form.
The world is discovering Filipino products — ube in your London coffee shop, Laksoy on a craft spirits menu somewhere, Filipino flavors showing up in kitchens and bars that would not have known these names five years ago.
GI protection is how the Philippines makes sure that when the world reaches for the real thing — the money, the recognition, and the credit go back to the right people. The Boholano farmers. The nipa palm harvesters of Gigaquit. The cooperatives and communities who have been doing this work long before it became globally trendy.
That is worth protecting. Formally. Legally. Permanently.
Souces:
IPOPHL official statement / Pascua quotes / Manual of Specifications review → https://www.ipophil.gov.ph/news/ipophl-receives-gi-bid-for-bohol-ubi-kinampay-amid-global-ube-craze/ ✅Four current Philippine GIs: Guimaras, Aklan Piña, Asin Tibuok, Tau Sebu T'nalak → https://www.atinitonews.com/2026/06/philippines-seeks-global-protection-for-bohols-famous-kinampay-purple-ube/ ✅
₱193M ube exports 2025 / 20.4% increase → https://philstarlife.com/news-and-views/397005-bohol-files-gi-bid-for-ubi-kinampay-ube-trend ✅
14,000 tons domestic production / importing from Vietnam / fake ube substitute → https://asianjournal.com/features/the-purple-gold-rush-can-the-philippines-cope-with-the-global-ube-obsession/ ✅
GI preserves traditional farming / organic practices → https://www.ipophil.gov.ph/news/ipophl-receives-gi-bid-for-bohol-ubi-kinampay-amid-global-ube-craze/ ✅
Gigaquit Rum GI application → DTI Surigao del Norte official Facebook page
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