Beware of Pirated Movies, Music CDs and Game Software from Divisoria and Quiapo!
April 13th, 2009
Bargain centers like Divisoria and Quiapo have lots of interesting stuff to keep bargain hunters busy for many days. Products from everywhere have a way of converging in these very busy centers. From Philippine handicrafts to exotic foods, to generic, no-name products from China, to antiques and herbal cures. And pirated products.
Intellectual piracy is not new here in the Philippines. Pirated foreign and Tagalog movies DVDs, foreign and Filipino music CDs, PlayStation 2, XBOX, GameBoy games, software, etc. are normally found in Divisoria and Quiapo. Just open your eyes and look around. They're everywhere! In corner stall, on the streets, in the stairways of the Metro Rail Transit in EDSA, wet markets, footbridges. Even some shops in shopping malls sell them underground. If you can't find them, just ask one of their salespersons. The salesperson will either get folders or bundles of fake DVDs or CDs or tell you where to find them nearby.
Even malls (especially in Divisoria) have stores that sell knockoff name brand (counterfeit) merchandise from China at dirt-cheap prices. Senor Enrique said in his blog:
The success of XXXXXXXXX's NNN Mall is fueled by the government's lack of stringent efforts to battle the influx of counterfeit products into the local market, as well as by the consumers' minimal disposable income yet fascination with status-setting designer merchandise, though fake the items may be. It's the "counterfeit chic phenomenon;" buying one of these items for the look and fun of it ' until disposed of for another shopping spree.
I am a bargain hunter, but deep inside I'm still a boy scout, eager to do what is right. Everything about these pirated or counterfeit products is wrong. They deprive the intellectual property owner of revenue. They deprive our government of taxes. Buying them shows our children bad values.
Beware of Pirated Movies, Music CDs and Game Software from Divisoria and Quiapo!
Intellectual piracy is not new here in the Philippines. Pirated foreign and Tagalog movies DVDs, foreign and Filipino music CDs, PlayStation 2, XBOX, GameBoy games, software, etc. are normally found in Divisoria and Quiapo. Just open your eyes and look around. They're everywhere! In corner stall, on the streets, in the stairways of the Metro Rail Transit in EDSA, wet markets, footbridges. Even some shops in shopping malls sell them underground. If you can't find them, just ask one of their salespersons. The salesperson will either get folders or bundles of fake DVDs or CDs or tell you where to find them nearby.
Even malls (especially in Divisoria) have stores that sell knockoff name brand (counterfeit) merchandise from China at dirt-cheap prices. Senor Enrique said in his blog:
The success of XXXXXXXXX's NNN Mall is fueled by the government's lack of stringent efforts to battle the influx of counterfeit products into the local market, as well as by the consumers' minimal disposable income yet fascination with status-setting designer merchandise, though fake the items may be. It's the "counterfeit chic phenomenon;" buying one of these items for the look and fun of it ' until disposed of for another shopping spree.
I am a bargain hunter, but deep inside I'm still a boy scout, eager to do what is right. Everything about these pirated or counterfeit products is wrong. They deprive the intellectual property owner of revenue. They deprive our government of taxes. Buying them shows our children bad values.
Beware of Pirated Movies, Music CDs and Game Software from Divisoria and Quiapo!
