The Manila city government yesterday pushed through with its citywide clearing operations in Quiapo, Manila, as it marked its first day of the total ban on the trade of counterfeit wares.
Mayor Alfredo Lim, together with Optical Media Board Chair Ronnie Ricketts, and Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor of the intellectual property rights and Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz of the US Embassy, went around different areas in Quiapo while operatives of the Manila Police District confiscated the remaining pirated CDs and DVDs.
There seemed nothing out of the ordinary in the hustle and bustle along Carriedo Street midmorning Friday.
People silently watched at the sidelines while policemen confiscated the remaining counterfeit wares.
There had been no retaliation from vendors, however. MPD director Gen. Roberto Rongavilla told the Inquirer that Muslim traders had, in fact, surrendered P10M worth of the fake DVDs and CDs.
The peaceful clearing operations were attributed to a series of meetings and dialogues between the local government and the traders, he said.
Maricris Irene V. Tamolang