OFWs warned against bringing fake CDs abroad

The Department of Labor and Employment is warning overseas Filipino workers bound for abroad to refrain from bringing pirated compact discs with them.

Several Filipinos were apprehended for bringing pirated CDs abroad the most recent of which was the arrest of a male OFW in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last month upon his arrival at the Damman Airport. The OFW's name is being withheld to protect his welfare and future employment overseas. Citing a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh, labor secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said the OFW left the country on August 23 to work as a secretary for an Arabian national.

In a press statement, the labor department said the OFW was nabbed upon his arrival at the airport after airport police found fake CDs in his possession. He is presently detained at the Damman Airport jail. Sto. Tomas said the POLO and Philippine Embassy in Riyadh together with the employer are negotiating with the Saudi authorities for his release.

The POLO office reported that they learned about the arrest of the OFW from Ronald Pineda, another Filipino worker who works as an x-ray technician at Damman Airport.

According to Pineda, the arrested OFW confessed that he intended to sell the pirated CDs in KSA. The Saudi police asked the OFW to pay 16,000 Saudi Real as fine for the fake CDs.

The Department of Trade and Industry recently reported that based on the recent US software statistics, the Philippines ranks fourth in the world with the highest piracy rate. China ranked first with 92 percent, followed by Indonesia with 88 percent, India with 73 percent, and Philippines with 72 percent. - Wenna A. Berondo