A think tank urged Congress to pass the Site Blocking Bill to combat piracy in the Philippines, citing its economic toll and security risks.
The Philippines currently lacks a legislative mandate to block sites with pirated content. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and internet service providers have been relying on stopgap measures to address the issue.
“We thus make an urgent call to our senators to act on the Site Blocking Bill, now pending before their chamber. This bill amends the existing Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines by enabling the IPOPHL to shut down sites containing pirated content, thus allowing it to act swiftly in the fight against piracy,” said Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute.
Two separate bills, Senate Bills 2150 and 2385, have been filed in the Senate to amend the IP code and expand its definition of pirated goods to include electronic and online content.
The IPOPHL welcomed the proposed revision of the 27-year-old IP Code, noting that it has been advocating for the amendment and is ready to implement it once passed.
In 2022, the Philippines lost around $700 million due to the piracy of Filipino-made TV shows and movies, and the country was identified as one of the top consumers of pirated content in Asia, according to a YouGov 2022 Piracy Landscape Survey.
“Aside from the economic toll on creative workers and the creative industry, piracy is a dangerous activity that compromises users’ security whenever they go to sites distributing pirated content. They stand to lose their assets, their privacy, and even be victimized and held liable because their identities have been used for criminal activities,” Manhit said.
IPOPHL director-general Rowel Barba estimates that the Philippines will lose around $1 billion in revenue in 2027 if online piracy continues. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), piracy reduces the country’s gross domestic product by around 7.1 percent.
This results in lost revenue and livelihoods, and poses a threat of malware infection to devices consuming pirated content, which can lead to scams.
