PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
METRO
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2002
Funds lack impedes anti-piracy drive
By Jerome Aning
THE HEAD of the Videogram Regulatory Board yesterday blamed the poor enforcement of anti-piracy law in the country on lack of funds.
In a forum on intellectual rights held at the National Bureau of Investigation, VRB chair Lualhati Buenafe said problem on funds impeded the effective implementation of Intellectual Property Rights Law against pirates of movies and music.
“The VRB does not have any intelligence funds, we cannot buy information regarding the location of illegal replicating machines,” Buenafe said during a meeting with NBI director Reynaldo Wycoco.
The VRB chief said the agency also lacks the necessary manpower to monitor for the illegal activities of these pirates.
Maximo Ocampo, a detective from a private security agency who participated in the forum, cited another problem in enforcing the IPR law: the lack of government agencies and courts dealing with IPR in the provinces like Cebu and Davao.
Wycoco said in many forms is a very serious problem in the country since the Philippines is already included in the international piracy watch list.