As higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly positioned at the forefront of national innovation systems, effective intellectual property (IP) governance has emerged as a strategic imperative. In the Philippines, national policies and institutional programs such as the Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) initiative have encouraged HEIs to formalize IP management structures. Yet questions remain about how public universities, particularly in resource-constrained regions, are translating these mandates into routinized practice. This study presents a cross-case synthesis of IP governance in four public HEIs in Eastern Visayas, using the Resource-Based View (RBV) to examine institutional capabilities and strategic alignment. Findings show that while all four institutions have made meaningful progress in formalizing IP systems, the depth of routinization and strategic integration varies significantly. Cases with embedded leadership structures, budgetary autonomy, and faculty-centered engagement strategies demonstrate more mature and inimitable governance capabilities. The study contributes to the emerging literature on university IP systems in developing contexts and proposes actionable recommendations to support institutional learning and innovation resilience. By framing IP governance as a dynamic capability, the research offers new insights into how HEIs can convert policy frameworks into strategic assets that support both academic excellence and societal impact.