The Optical Media Board operates under the U.S. Office of the President and functions as a body that regulates the local video industry. Agents conducted the raid at store branches of Filbar magazine, located in two Makati City malls, as well as store branches of Pro-Con Computer Center and Genex Mediatech at AliMall in Cubao.
The agency has been filing cases against store owners since last year and has sent written warnings to owners of malls that are known sources of pirated goods.
"Business owners should not engage in unfair business practices such as selling of counterfeit items like pirated CDs,” Police Senior Superintendent Noel Delos Reyes added. “It is our duty to enforce the law and we hope that the raids serve as a wake up call to those establishments that continue to engage in piracy."
The agency’s operations are part of the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team, the Philippines government’s campaign to promote awareness of intellectual property rights and curb piracy in the country.
Agency Chairman Edu Manzano said criminal charges are being prepared against the owners of the raided stores.
"We've been repeatedly warning business establishments that pirated and pornographic materials have no place inside malls," Manzano said. "Some of the stores raided are popular hangouts for children and teenagers, and it was really sad to see sacks of anime porn material present inside at least one store and presumably being sold there. Parents are probably not even aware that their children could have access to pornographic materials so easily, simply by disguising them as cartoon videos.”
