Billions worth of fake goods seized

Fake goods also proliferate online. (Getty)

Alert operatives prevented some P16 billion worth of counterfeit goods from getting into the hands of consumers.

The National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR), along with teams from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Customs (BoC), seized over P13 billion worth of goods while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confiscated items worth P2.82 billion.

The operations were conducted during the first seven months of the year.

Majority of the counterfeit products were cigarettes and alcohol, followed by pharmaceutical and personal care products, handbags and wallets, optical media and footwear.

The NCIPR has yet to authenticate the NBI’s P8-billion worth of haul which comprised mostly of tobacco.

BoC’s capture of mostly wearable items worth P3.9 billion in a Divisoria mall is likewise still subject to validation.

The seizures in the January-to-July period this year represents nearly 60 percent of the overall capture in 2018, which stood at P23.6 billion.

“The implementation of the hike in new and huge taxes on tobacco will start next year. Also, we are closely watching developments on the proposal to impose taxes on alcohol products and e-cigarettes and other vapor products,” said Josephine Santiago, vice chair of NCIPR.

“As early as now, we are readying ourselves for the possible rise of counterfeiting of these products by intensifying our exploration of new enforcement strategies to employ.”