MANILA, Philippines- Nakumpiska ng mga awtoridad ang P26.86 bilyong halaga ng pekeng produkto noong 2023, ayon sa Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) nitong Biyernes.
Sinabi rin nito na 94 porsyento ng pekeng produkto ang nasabat sa pamamagitan ng operasyon ng 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,” pahayag ng IPOPHL.
Ayon kay IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba, mayorya ng nasamsam ng BOC ay imitation apparel. Si Barba rin ang acting head ng National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR).
Sa nakumpiska naman ng PNP, inihayag ni Barba na karamihan sa mga ito ay ilegal na sigarilyong nasamsam mula sa mga warehouse sa iba’t ibang lalawigan.
“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,” wika niya, at sinabing nagsagawa ang NCIPR ng kabuuang 3,087 operasyon mula January hanggang December noong nakaraang taon.
Subalit, binanggit ni IPOPHL’s IP Rights Enforcement Office Supervising Director Christine Pangilinan-Canlapan na “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,” dagdag niya. RNT/SA
