P48-M pirated DVDs seized

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — Customs agents seized some P48 million worth of pirated DVDs of Hollywood movies after the 48 boxes containing them were brought out of a United Parcels Service cargo plane here past midnight on Friday.

Customs examiner Efren Ambagan said H3 Technologies Phils., a Clark locator supposedly manufacturing electronic parts, was the shipment’s alleged consignee.

The pirated DVDs, according to Ambagan, were flown in from Singapore and were misdeclared as electronic spare parts.

"We already had intelligence reports from Singapore that the pirated DVDs were to arrive here at Clark so we were on alert for the shipment," he said.

Last Feb. 22, authorities destroyed five tons of pirated DVDs estimated at P13 million that were confiscated from February to August last year. The pirated DVDs came from Malaysia. — Ding Cervantes