P350 M worth of fake goods destroyed in Camp Crame

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Pirated goods worth some P350 million were destroyed at the Camp Crame Grandstand on Thursday, in line with the World Anti-Counterfeiting Day. Video by INQUIRER.net’s Danica Hermogenes

MANILA, Philippines — Pirated goods worth some P350 million were destroyed at the Camp Crame Grandstand on Thursday, in line with the World Anti-Counterfeiting Day.

Pirated DVDs, counterfeit bags, shoes, and eyewear seized by the Bureau of Customs, National Bureau of Investigation and the Optical Media Board were destroyed by authorities, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines Director General Ricardo Blancaflor said. ‘High value’ goods like fake Louis Vuitton bags, Oakley shades, Lacoste shoes were among the items destroyed during the ceremony, he explained.

“Anything that’s illegal, we’ll destroy,” declared Optical Media Board chairman Ronnie Ricketts.

The campaign against piracy and counterfeiting is on-going, said Ricketts, adding that the ranking of the Philippines in the US piracy watch-list has been downgraded. “It’s not yet off the watch-list, but (the country’s ranking) our ranking has gone down,” Ricketts added.

The Philippines has been taken off the Out-of-cycle review of the US piracy watch-list. “Hopefully, by next year we will be off it,” said Blancaflor.

A sad reality to piracy and counterfeiting was the loss of livelihood for many Filipinos, revealed Blancaflor, comparing counterfeiting and piracy to identity theft. “It’s like when someone’s name is stolen. It’s unfair. (Because of piracy) artists lose their jobs… and counterfeit medicine poses health risks to people.”