ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanews/19 March) – Personnel from the Optical Media Board (OMB) Manila in cooperation with the City Administrator’s Office and the local police swooped down Friday on video rental stalls and sidewalks downtown and seized hordes of pirated Digital Video Discs (DVDs) and pornographic materials estimated to cost at least P15 million pesos.
A 10-man OMB team arrived here Friday morning in response to Mayor Celso Lobregat’s transmittal of City Council Resolution No. 70 calling the OMB, the police and other concerned agencies to operate against the blatant sale of pornographic materials in downtown areas.
Initial inventory by the OMB and the City Administrator’s Office showed that more or less 300,000 pieces of pirated DVDs including pornographic materials were confiscated from various video stalls downtown specifically along Governor Lim Avenue and La Purisima Street.
At the lowest, Assistant City Administrator Elmeir Apolinario said the pirated DVDs are being sold between P30 and P50 each while the better ones are sold between P60 and P80 each. At an average of P50 each, the 300,000 pieces would amount to P15 million.
Apolinario said they will invite OMB chair and Chief Executive Officer Ronnie Rickets to destroy the confiscated pirated DVDs and other pornographic materials.
The OMB team turned over the seized DVDs to Lobregat for proper inventory.
Councilor Percival Ramos, author of the City Council resolution, said he was prompted to sponsor the resolution based on complaints from the religious sector and public concerning the gross display of pornographic materials in video stalls and sidewalks.
He lamented that many video rental stores and even sidewalk stalls display their wares by the roadside, exposing minors to pornographic materials.
Unless deputized by the OMB, the City Administrator’s Office and other agencies concerned have no authority to confiscate pirated DVDs and other pornographic material being sold in their locality. (MindaNews)