WHAT is it about most people (and many Filipinos), who feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in acquiring things for free, which usually need to be paid for?
Is it limited finances/budget which compel them to avail of such things?
This is so very true in the case of music, film, television shows and other forms of entertainment. I hear a lot of kababayans beaming with pride, when they are able to download music for free, or get a copy of a Pinoy movie or TV show for a fraction of the cost, albeit having poor quality.
It seems many of us have not embraced the concept of intellectual property. Some even make a business out of stealing creations from other people and making money out of it, disregarding the fact that it is against the law to do so.
This is what happened to kababayans in Southern California. Their business got raided for alleged piracy.
Balitang America’s LA correspondent, Steve Angeles witnessed that raid, as authorities checked out thousands of Filipino videos at this Pinoy-owned store along a strip mall in Long Beach last Wednesday, as part of an anti-piracy campaign.
“May illegal activity pinaparentahang mga pirated DVDs at nagbebenta [sila ng] pirated DVDs,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputy Chris Figueroa told Angeles in his exclusive report on Balitang America.
“I would say this is a mid-level distribution and manufacturing. But we can’t be deceived by the small mom-and-pop type of shop because the amount of parts you can mass produce in a very short period of time is really incredible,” Investigator Kris Buckner said.
Angeles reported that one unidentified Filipina was arrested during the raid, while an arrest warrant was issued to Filipino store owner, Fernando Legaspi Bernabe. Bernabe reportedly attempted to run for Long Beach City Council four years ago.
“The person arrested today, she was part of this pirate organization. The undercover involved in the case made multiple purchases from her. She’s a co-owner of the location. She’s a person that ended up getting arrested and is currently facing felony charges,” Buckner said.
As this Pinay quietly waited, handcuffed inside the car, a team of sheriff deputies and undercover investigators sifted through thousands of discs, as well as copying machines which they say produced bootleg videos.
There were about 2,500 DVDs worth over $90,000 that were seized. Around 20 percent of them were ABS-CBN products, which the company has put efforts on, to prevent piracy.
Investigators said that the accused would make copies off one legit DVD, then have them rented out. They would also allegedly sell illegally burned copies for $10 per piece.
“You know it’s fake because the picture is weird and there are typos in the print. Then when you open it, there’s a purple glow on the back of the CD,” Figueroa told Balitang America.
It seems many kababayans have not learned from the mistakes of others. Angeles reported that this the third Filipino business raided for alleged piracy this year in Southern California.
Law enforcement officials have been actively looking for clues and investigating stores, even using help from the public through crimestoppers.org.
Officials say when piracy occurs, workers and communities are eventually the ones affected.
“It’s all over the US and all over the world. Hundreds of thousands of people a year are losing their jobs due to the risks of counterfeiting and piracy, and with that obviously were not able to fund schools and hospitals because were losing lost tax revenue,” Sgt. Janice Munson of the LA Sheriff’s Department explained on Balitang America.
Angeles reported that Bernabe (who was not in the store during the raid) has not yet been arrested, nor has he turned himself over to police custody. The co-accused remains in custody, pending her arraignment.
Many opined that maybe one way to stop piracy is to penalize those who purchase pirated materials.
We asked viewers in the daily online poll, Isyu Ngayon, what they think about this issue.
A majority of those who voted (64 percent) do not think so. They contend that these consumers may not even be aware that they are using or purchasing pirated media.
Only 36 percent said yes. They believe that these consumers are still participating in a criminal act and ought to suffer the consequences of their illegal behavior, in order to learn a lesson.
What do you think?
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
