Use of historic figures, names as commercial brands opposed

SCREENGRAB from www.ncca.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines—The Intramuros Administration and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts are opposed to an application by a liquor company for the use of “Intramuros” and other names of historic figures and places in the Philippines as brand names for its alcoholic beverages.

NCCA Chair Felipe de Leon Jr. released a statement saying the commission, which is tasked to formulate policy on all matters of culture and the arts, was strongly against the application of Destileria Limtuaco, Inc. to use the name “Intramuros” for one of its alcholic beverages which he noted had already been approved by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

The Intramuros Administration, an agency of the Department of Tourism in charge of the restoration, development and promotion of the Walled City, said that it was opposed to the use of its name as a brand. It added that Destileria Limtuaco had pending trademark applications for the names “Rizal,” “Bonifacio,” “Tacloban” and “Gomburza.”

“Historic persons, national heroes and heritage sites are given the highest level of recognition and dignity by the state and imbued with public interest,” De Leon said in his statement.

He said the use of these names for commercial enterprises and products not only distracts from the achievements of historic persons and importance of heritage sites but also gives the message that their names can be “desacralized, privately owned and used to enrich private interests.”

“No person or corporation should or ought to have any rights of ownership or other such congruent rights over them,” the NCCA chair added.

He said  the commission was calling the attention of the government agencies concerned and the general public to this misappropriation issue.

Destileria Limtuaco, Inc., a fifth-generation Filipino-owned distillery in Quezon City established in the 1850s and the oldest in Southeast Asia, has become known for such supposedly medicinal beverages as Sioktong.

This year, the company started distributing its latest creation, Manille de Calamansi (calamansi liquor), which it plans to export to the United States,

(With a report from Jacqueline Arias, PDI trainee)