Baguio raid on pirated VCDs to test country’s anti-piracy law

BAGUIO CITY – The raid on a pirated VCD factory here on Wednesday will test the country’s anti-piracy and intellectual property rights (IPR) laws, the judge of the only IPR court in Northern Luzon said yesterday.

Judge Antonio Esteves recieved some 4,000 assorted pirated VCDs as well as two duplicating machines from policemen who confiscated the items in a raid in Sandico Street. The police also arrested two suspects — Haji Yazim Mambuay, 38, and Pangandaman Gandarosa, 59.

They will be facing the full arm of the relatively new law upon the recommendation of the charges by the city prosecutor here, Estevez said.

There are only five IPR courts in the country, Estevez said, and this included his court which was constituted only this year.

Videogram Regulatory Board’s (VRB) deputy for Northern Luzon Edgar Avila, a lawyer, corroborated the raiding policemen’s assessment that the "factory" is supplying the piracy trade in Northern Luzon.

The syndicate, Avila said, is well-entrenched and has expanded in Northern Luzon. "Apparently, the syndicate has a well entrenched connection even all the way to the VRB office."

Mambuay and Gandarosa, both Muslim migrant traders here, however, denied the allegation.

Avila said VRB chief Ramon Revilla Jr., himself admitted to him upon hearing the report that this is the biggest haul so far outside of Metro Manila. "It is the first breakthrough," he said.

Avila also disclosed that fixers are allegedly trying to offer P500,000 to authorities to "relax" on the case even as Revilla has vowed there will be no whitewash in the case.

Judge Estevez, however, shrugged off any kind of whitewash in the case. "How can that happen when the case is so big," he said referring to the huge haul.