Seized fake goods in Q1 reach P5.3B
FAKE GOODS seized by the government in the first quarter this year reached a value of P5.3 billion, more than five times the P886 million recorded in the same period last year, with fake cigarettes and cigarette production equipment accounting for the bulk.
“This Q1 seizure does not even reflect yet the value seized by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) which routinely impounds a substantial amount of fake goods from the country’s gateways,” the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Director General Josephine R. Santiago said in a statement yesterday.
Ms. Santiago expressed confidence that the agency can surpass the P8.2 billion in fake and counterfeit items confiscated in 2017.
During the first quarter, cigarettes and cigarette production paraphernalia took the top spot in value, estimated to be worth P5 billion. This is followed by handbags and wallets, and optical media at P137 million and P103 million, respectively.
Footwear took the fourth spot with a P55 million value, while other goods such as manufactured parts and food items were worth P25 million.
The P5 billion worth of cigarettes and cigarette production paraphernalia comes mainly from the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) one-time seizure of a factory manufacturing fake cigarettes in Bulacan as reported by the Department of Finance in February.
For the first quarter of 2018, the PNP conducted 17 operations, issued 14 search warrants, and arrested 14 individuals.
Among the enforcement agencies, the National Bureau of Investigation took out counterfeit products valued at P209 million, while the Optical Media Board confiscated P103 million worth of the haul.
The BoC has yet to submit its enforcement data, according to the IPOPHL.
Ms. Santiago said the agency will continue to work closely with vendors and establishment owners to find means of shifting them towards selling alternative goods sourced locally. — Janina C. Lim
HRW says HIV-AIDS bill lacks provision on condom use
HUMAN RIGHTS Watch Philippines on Wednesday said the proposed HIV-AIDS Policy Act, which passed on third and final reading last Monday, lacked provisions on condom use promotion, noting that the contraceptive’s low use caused the increased cases of HIV in the country. “In short, the draft law is a marked improvement over its antiquated predecessor. But like its predecessor, the measure does not include specific provisions directing the government to promote condom use. This is a big mistake,” HRW Philippines researcher Carlos H. Conde said in a statement. In response, Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, co-author and sponsor of the bill, assured that the proposed measure imposes prevention programs, including strategies such as distribution of prophylactics like condoms. “In the new law, there will also be interventions to prevent, halt or control the spread of HIV in the general population, especially among key populations and vulnerable communities. These preventive measures include strategies such as distribution of prophylactics, such as condoms,” she said in a statement. — Camille A. Aguinaldo
Abas confirmed
Sheriff Manimbayan Abas (3rd from left) is confirmed as chairman of the Commission on Elections on Wednesday, May 23, by the Commission on Appointments.
