P.6-B VCD, DVD replicating machines seized in Laguna

BIÑAN, Laguna — Eleven undocumented Chinese nationals were arrested and about P600 million worth of VCD and DVD replicating machines were seized here Friday night in what authorities believe was one of the country’s biggest factories of pirated video products.

Raided was the factory of Bright Futures Technology Inc., registered under the name of a certain Anthony Bryan Sy, inside the Laguna International Industrial Park in Barangay Mamplasan, said Chief Superintendent Jesus Verzosa, police director of Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).

President Arroyo made a surprise visit to the factory yesterday and congratulated those behind the raid.

Verzosa said the factory, which was raided at about 11:30 p.m. Friday, yielded eight VCD and DVD replicating machines, seven bonding machines, five polycarbonate dryers, 9,365 fake Sony Playstation DVDs and a huge volume of VCDs.

The 11 Chinese illegals were arrested in an apartment in the nearby village of Brentville. They were presented to the President yesterday.

Lawyer Marivic Benedicto of the Optical Media Board said the raid was the result of a month-long surveillance.

She said Bright Future Technology is a "legitimate company" which began operating in November 2003.

Benedicto said the company applied for a license for one DVD bonding machine supposedly for the legal reproduction of original DVDs.

But as it turned out, Benedicto said the company was able to smuggle in seven replicating machines, five for bonding and four for printing.

Under this set-up, the factory could reproduce 40,000 DVDs per machine per day or a total of 320,000, Benedicto said.

The raid was conducted by elements of the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division, Task Force Meteor, Regional Mobile Group and the Optical Media Board.

They were armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Antonio Eugenio Jr. of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 24.

Verzosa said Bright Future and the 11 Chinese illegals will be charged for infringement of trademarks and copyright, a bailable offense. If found guilty, they face a jail term of six months to three years.

Benedicto believes that Anthony Bryan Sy, under whose name the company was registered, was just a dummy of foreign investors since he was found just driving for the workers. Sy was not around during the raid.

Before she went to the raided factory, the President toured the facilities of Terumo Phils. Corp., which manufactures plastic medical equipment, at the Laguna Technopark. — With Ed Amoroso