ILIGAN CITY –The Optical Media Board confiscated pirated CDs and DVDs worth PHP140,000 in three simultaneous operations here Monday afternoon.
OMB chairman and CEO Anselmo Adriano said the 400 sacks of seized fake CDs and DVDs, including “blank” storage items used in “burning data”.
Prior to the seizure, Adriano said the OMB conducted surveillance after receiving tips from a concerned citizen of the widespread sale of counterfeit materials in Barangay Palao, Quezon Avenue, and Aguinaldo Street here.
In Aguinaldo St., seven stalls were inspected but no stall owners were arrested because no one came forward to admit that they operate the stores.
“Ang SOP (our standard operating procedure) namin (is) when we inspect the place, we always ask who is the owner but nobody dared to say they are the owner, knowing fully well that if they admit to be the owner, they can go to jail,” Adriano said.
But Adriano said OMB managed to obtain the identities of the owners through the Department of Trade and Industry.
“Under our procedure, once we will determine the names of the owners, we will issue a subpoena. There will be a case to be filed and once they will be determined to have violated the law, they will pay the fine. Kung hindi pa rin magpapakita sa amin, we will be filing criminal charges,” Adriano warned.
Republic Act 9239 empowers the OMB to conduct inspections of commercial establishments that sell optical magnetic media and storage devices.
Adriano said they also confiscated a printer used in making labels for the fake CDs and DVDs.
The printer’s owner, stall owner Abdul Usman, lamented the OMB’s confiscation of the device.
But Usman admitted he was aware that selling counterfeit items is against the law, and that he will have to put up a “legitimate business” once he can save enough capital.-PNA
