THE head of the antifraud and commercial crime division (AFCCD) of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Wednesday warned businessmen to obey intellectual property laws or else the government would run after them and even seize their goods.

The warning was issued by Senior Supt. Joel Orduña, chief of the AFCCD, as his men confiscated on Monday more than P400,000 worth of fake soap products in two separate raids in Pasay and Parañaque cities.

In his report to CIDG chief Supt. Raul Castañeda, Orduña said his men, led by Senior Insp. Renante Lambojo, raided on Monday the Happiness Drugstore located on Redemptorist Road in Baclaran, Parañaque, the Fancy Silk Merchandize at the Baclaran Shopping Mall in Pasay City and eight other stalls, also in the city, where they seized fake Dove and Clear shampoo products worth some P450,000.

The seized goods were taken to a warehouse in Parañaque for safekeeping.

Orduña said the raids were carried out on the strength of 11 search warrants that were issued by Judge Reynaldo Ros of Branch 33 of the Regional Trial Court in Manila.

The raids and the issuance of the warrants were triggered by a complaint from Unilever Philippines, whose trademarks over the products were violated.

“The conduct of the raids should serve as a warning to businessmen to comply with laws and observe the intellectual property rights of others as we will not hesitate to run after them,” Orduña said.

The chief of the AFCCD said legitimate businessmen and companies have been losing billions of pesos owing to piracy, infringement and other violations of the Intellectual Property Code.

Police Officer 3 Juancho Necesito said the owners of the establishment were not around during the raids.                                                                

Orduña said the operations were carried out in orderly manner, with barangay officials and even security guards witnessing the raids and only the products that were listed on the receipt of seized property were taken.

No one was hurt during the raids.

P1.1B ‘missing’ in government swine program

WHILE the crisis spawned by the $329-million national broadband network (NBN) scandal remains a threat to the survival of the Arroyo administration, another can of worms was opened that allegedly robbed marginalized farmers once more of at least P1.1 billion of public funds.

CIVIL-society and faith-based groups are considering Chief Justice Reynato Puno as a replacement for former President Corazon Aquino in their campaign to push for President Arroyo’s resignation.

LEADERS and representatives of various civil society, farmers, urban poor, labor and fishermen’s groups held the People’s Food Summit at the UP Diliman’s School of Labor and Industrial Relations (Solair) on Wednesday to tackle the issue of food security and come up with an alternative solution to the looming food crisis haunting the Philippines.

THE Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) elected Muslimin Sema as its new chairman on Tuesday in a move aimed at strengthening the fragile peace in Mindanao.

CHAIRMAN Jose Melo of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) hinted on Wednesday that poll automation in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) may not push through, as the commission is way behind its schedule to modernize the region’s August elections.

CHIEF Justice Reynato Puno has directed the Office of the Court Administrator to take action on the request of Steel Corp.  of the Philippines (SCP) to have its rehabilitation case transferred from Branch 2 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Batangas City to any court in Metro Manila.

THE head of the antifraud and commercial crime division (AFCCD) of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Wednesday warned businessmen to obey intellectual property laws or else the government would run after them and even seize their goods.

A LEGISLATOR urged President Arroyo on Wednesday to appoint a deputy Ombudsman in the Department of Agriculture (DA) who will serve as a tripwire against misdeeds as billions of pesos are heading the agency’s way.