Pirate hunters strike

Authorities claimed to have made a major breakthrough in the fight against video piracy following raid in Sta. Cruz and Quiapo, Manila yesterday.

"We believe this barter trade area in Quiapo supplies 80 percent of pirated audio and video compact discs to the entire country," Videogram and Regulatory Board (VRB) chairman Ramon Revilla Jr. said during an interview on dzMM radio.

Revilla said they served 287 search warrants in Sta. Cruz and Quiapo.

He said no one was injured in the operation conducted by a composite team that included members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) and Metro Manila command.

Police said the raids went smoothly unlike operations in the past when vendors with homemade shotguns fired at the raiding teams.

Among the VCDs seized included Terminator 3, The Hulk and even a movie in which Revilla recently starred.

The VRB chief said he believes that a Chinese syndicate is behind the rampant piracy, using Muslim traders to sell their products.

Despite the raids of stalls and shops in Quiapo and Sta. Cruz, patrons of pirated discs are confident that it will be "business as usual" as raiders failed to catch the actual source and suppliers.

"The good thing is, after the raid CDs and VCDs will be sold even cheaper than the regular price, which ranges from P30 to 35," one buyer of pirated discs said. "The vendors will be back and sell their wares again." – Cecille Suerte Felipe