Government agents raided a wholesale shopping center in Pasay City and seized more than P1 billion worth of counterfeit items.
Joint elements from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service – Intellectual Property Right Division and the Port of Manila conducted the raid at Baclaran Wholesale Complex at the corner of F.B. Harrison and J. Fernando Streets based on the Letter of Authority issued by Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero on Monday.
The raid was made with the help from members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The authorities discovered at the establishments counterfeit items bearing the brands Victoria’s Secret, Birkenstock, Lacoste, Converse, Nike, Adidas, Jordan, Havaianas, Barbie, HP, and other fake products.
Commissioner Guerrero ordered the bureau’s Intelligence Group to conduct further investigation and invite the owner and operators at the establishment for questioning.
“The Bureau of Customs will remain resolute in the implementation of its mandate to suppress smuggling in the country and to protect Filipino consumers against possible hazardous counterfeit items,” said Guerrero.
In 2007, then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo authorized the Bureau of Customs to organize a special team through Executive Order 736, which creates the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights.
Authorities said counterfeit commodity remain as a serious concern in the Philippines.
As locked-down customers shop online, fake products are flooding in, prompting the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to ask the help of concerned agencies like the Bureau of Customs to help in going against the proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods.
IPOPHL revealed that complaints on counterfeiting and piracy filed in 2020 with the agency surge to 121 as the coronavirus pandemic presented lucrative opportunities for unscrupulous traders.
Records also showed that most of the complaints concerned counterfeiting while the remaining 54 were on the illegal sharing and selling of copyrighted works.
Fake apparels were mostly the subject of complaints with 39 or about 77 percent, followed by gadgets with seven (10 percent) and cosmetics with six (9 percent).
IPOPHL also stated that 22 piracy complaints involved movies and shows accounting for 40 percent in the category. E-books trailed behind with 14 reports or a 25 percent share, followed by software products with 9 or 16 percent.
Some 90% of the reports and complaints were sold and marketed online, with Facebook (61%), Unpopular websites (13%) Shopee (12%), Lazada (7%) and Youtube (2%) as the top platforms used.
