P26.86-billion worth of fake products seized in PH in 2023

FILE PHOTO: This undated photo shows an NBI agent holding two bottles of counterfeit Epson printed ink as he inspects a room filled with boxes of fake products which the raiding team discovered in two condominium units in Manila’s Quiapo district. Government authorities confiscated P26.86 billion worth of counterfeit products in 2023, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) reported Friday, March 15, 2024. PHOTO FROM AFFILIATE AGENCY OF NBI

MANILA, Philippines — Government authorities confiscated P26.86 billion worth of counterfeit products in 2023, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) reported Friday.

It also said that 94 percent of the fake products were seized through the operations of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

“The rest resulted from the operations of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), with a haul worth P1.20 billion; the Philippine National Police (PNP), with a P285.93 million value; the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a P1.58 million value; and the Optical Media Board (OMB), with a P221,500 haul,” IPOPHL added in a statement.

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According to IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba, the majority of the BOC’s seizures consisted of imitation apparel. Barba is also the acting head of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR).

On PNP’s haul, Barba said it mostly comprised illicit cigarettes seized from warehouses in various provinces.

“With more aggressive and strategic efforts, coupled with its swift coordination with the team and with IP rights holders, the NCIPR members were able to ensure the success of its seizure operations,” he said, noting that the NCIPR conducted a total of 3,087 operations from January to December last year.

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However, IPOPHL’s IP Rights Enforcement Office Supervising Director Christine Pangilinan-Canlapan pointed out that “a significant number of seizures does not exclusively signify increased counterfeit trade in the country.”

“Relative to other nations that have low to zero values in counterfeit goods, a higher value of goods can simply mean we are doing our part in conducting seizure operations, that our close coordination with IP rights holders is bearing fruit in intercepting counterfeit trade and that we are transparent to the public about our operations,” she added.