CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Philippine authorities launched a crackdown on pirated movies and songs and seized hundreds of digital video discs at a shopping area in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental province in Mindanao.
Members of the Optical Media Board, backed by policemen, confiscated the pirated discs on Saturday, but there were no arrests made. They swooped down on every stalls and shops selling pirated movies and hauled nearly 600 sacks of video discs.
It was not immediately known who were supplying the pirated movies in Cagayan de Oro, but selling of these discs is also rampant in other areas in Mindanao.
In Zamboanga City, stalls after stalls selling pirated movies are openly displayed in downtown areas and malls and the local government cannot even stop nefarious traders from plying their illegal business.
Zamboanga is fast becoming a trading hub for fake products – from a pair of French Chanel sandals to a bottle of lotion down to pirated movies. Not only pirated movies are being sold in Zamboanga, fake shoes – Adidas, Nike and Under Armor – and t-shirts also sell like hotcake due to its low price compared to original products.
Many shopping malls sell fake products, including Levis denim pants, and wrist watches and sunglasses, but shoppers who take advantage of the cheap commodities do not care as long as it carries a popular brand.
One pair of Chanel ladies sandals being sold in a mall only cost a little under P500 and imitated brands of imported goods – bags, shoes and even an iPhone unit made in China sells for about P6,000. In one mall, aside from pirated movies, many stalls there sell imitation of branded facial cream and moisturizing lotions, and even computer software and karaoke discs. (Mindanao Examiner)
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