P41B worth of counterfeit goods seized in 2024

MANILA, Philippines — The government seized P40.99 billion worth of counterfeit products last year, a new record high as agencies step up their campaign to rid the market of these illicit goods.

Data from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) released on Thursday showed that the value of confiscated contraband was 52 percent higher than the P26.99 billion recorded in 2023.

Counterfeit goods in the Philippines range from apparel to footwear, down to perfumes, watches, accessories and even electronics.

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Seizures of counterfeit items in the Philippines have been fluctuating annually in the last several years, with the confiscated value reaching P22.13 billion in 2019, P9.79 billion in 2020, and P24.90 billion in 2021, and P9.49 billion in 2022.

In 2024, the IPOPHL said that the biggest portion of the seizures were from the Bureau of Customs (BOC), accounting for 84.65 percent and with a value of P34.70 billion.

This is followed by the seizures from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine National Police (PNP) at P3.42 billion and P2.83 billion, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized P30.20 million counterfeit drugs and other health-related products.

Newly appointed IPOPHL Director General Brigitte da Costa-Villaluz highlighted the negative impact of counterfeiting activities to the country’s economy.

“Counterfeit products harm the economy as they undermine legitimate businesses and market trust, while also exposing consumers to unsafe products that went under the radar of regulatory standard checks,” she said in a statement.

Another IPOPHL official, Deputy Director General for Policy, Legal Affairs and External Relations Nathaniel Arevalo expressed their commitment in continuing their campaign against counterfeiting as part of their mandate to protect intellectual property rights and consumers.

“The (National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) will continue to safeguard our borders from being transit points, our warehouses from being hiding dens and our markets from being thriving hubs for counterfeiting,” Arevalo said.

The 15-member NCIPR is chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the IPOPHL’s parent agency, with members including the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Philippine National Police and the Optical Media Board (OMB).