Quezon City (27 October) -- "Our interdictions of counterfeit goods will intensify in the coming days. We are also improving systems that will lead not just to the early detection of incoming shipments of fake products but in prosecuting those behind each shipment”.

This was the warning Commissioner of Customs Napoleon L. Morales issued as he leads other Bureau of Customs (BOC) officials and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in destroying various seized fake goods at the BOC grounds in observance of the Intellectual Property Rights Week.

The BOC is steadfast in its campaign against piracy and all forms of intellectual property rights violations. Already the BOC has issued thirteen (13) alert/hold orders and confiscated 217,304 pieces, 4,566 boxes/sacks of fake goods to the tune of P583,774,410.

Joint operations with the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation and the Optical Media Board yield an estimated P1.14 billion worth of

assorted fake articles. These fake goods, according to Commissioner Morales are not meant to be auctioned, neither they are for sale. “The only way to handle them is to destroy them.”

In his statement of support, Deputy Customs Commissioner for Intelligence and Enforcement Celso Templo stressed that the entry of fake goods in the local market is “the height of indifference that has serious negative implications with the country’s international relations.”

The bottom line however of the fight against intellectual property infringement is a fight against poverty. In his support to the campaign, IPO Chairperson Adrian Cristobal, Jr., Director General represented by his Deputy Director General Pacifico Avenido pointed out that “it enables Filipino excellence to rise in the global arena and expanding opportunities and jobs along the way.”