Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a bill seeking to abolish the Optical Media Board, saying the agency has become outdated amid the decline of disc-based media and the rise of digital technology.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, said the OMB’s mandate—largely focused on regulating compact discs (CDs) and digital versatile discs (DVDs)—is no longer relevant in today’s digital economy.

“Designed for a disc-based piracy economy, the OMB is no longer the optimal agency to address the challenges of a digital age,” Gatchalian said in a statement on Saturday.

He added that maintaining an agency whose mandate no longer aligns with present realities is an inefficient use of government resources.

“Sa halip na panatilihin ang isang ahensyang ang mandato ay hindi na umaayon sa kasalukuyang panahon, mas mainam nang maglaan ng pondo sa mga ahensyang may kakayahang tumugon sa mga hamon ng makabagong teknolohiya at ng digital na ekonomiya,” Gatchalian said.

Under Senate Bill No. 1654, the OMB would be abolished, with its powers, functions, and resources transferred to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

The measure also provides for the absorption of OMB Secretariat employees into IPOPHL without any reduction in salaries, benefits, or tenure.

According to Gatchalian, consolidating the OMB’s functions under IPOPHL would streamline intellectual property enforcement, shift the government’s focus toward combating digital piracy, and strengthen enforcement efforts by leveraging IPOPHL’s existing authority and institutional capacity.

The senator said the proposal aims to improve efficiency in government operations while ensuring stronger protection of intellectual property rights in the digital era.