COA calls out OMB for declining anti-piracy performance

The Commission on Audit (COA) has noted a significant decline in the performance of the Optical Media Board (OMB) when it comes to its anti-piracy campaign.

 

In an audit report published by COA on its website on Tuesday, it said that the number of raids and inspections conducted by the OMB for 2014 went down to 2,193 as compared to 2,705 in 2013 and 2,913 in 2012.

 

“The accomplishment of OMB in terms of inspection of establishments and confiscation of optical media and equipment declined compared to the accomplishments in previous years and fell short of the targets for the year thereby raising concern as to the agency’s ability and commitment to curb piracy,” the COA said in its report.

 

The state auditors further noted that the raids and inspections conducted in 2014 were focused merely on small-time DVD and VCD stalls instead of the importers, exporters and distributors of optical media items and equipment especially those engaged in the replication of videos.

 

“In view of the reduced number of inspections made, and the erroneous choice of establishments to be inspected, OMB fell short of its objective of curtailing if not stopping violations of the Optical Media Act,” the COA report said.

 

The COA also noted that “only optical discs were seized and none of the equipment used for manufacturing equipment, parts and accessories and manufacturing materials used or intended for use in the mastering, manufacture or replication of optical media.” 

 

Of the 2,193 establishments inspected, the COA said OMB agents only managed to seize 2,372,959 optical and magnetic media discs, 65 television sets, 50 DVD players, 20 amplifiers, six subwoofers, and 30 speakers.

 

The COA said such figures were comparatively lower than in 2013 and 2012 when the OMB was able to at least seize some items used in piracy such as computers, monitors and tower burners.

 

“May we also note that the last time that OMB seized replicating machines was on May 26, 2009 together with the Bureau of Customs,” the report further noted.

 

The COA said some of the factors that might have contributed to OMB’s low performance in curbing piracy were the lack of surveillance, planning and sufficient intelligence work prior to operations, resulting to lower yield of pirated items as well as non-filing of complaints to big-time violators.

 

The COA also noted the temporary vacancy in the OMB leadership for a certain period, which resulted in the non-issuance of mission orders.

 

“We recommend that Management revisit policies and strategies on monitoring and enforcement activities with the end view of identifying and resolving issues contributing to their accomplishments and aiding the agency in its function of monitoring the manufacture, mastering, replication, importation and exportation of optical media,” the COA told the OMB.

 

Sought for a reaction, OMB Legal Division head Cyrus Paul Valenzuela, admitted that the decline in the board’s anti-piracy performance was due to the “lack of political will” of the OMB leadership especially when it comes to giving mission orders to the OMB enforcers.

 

“Ricketts usually limits the issuance of mission orders to specific locations. So if he says go to Makati Cinema Square, that’s the only place you can go if you’re the enforcement team,” Valenzuela told GMA News Online in a text message.

 

Valenzuela was referring to incumbent OMB chairman Ronnie Ricketts.

 

“Unlike in the past leadership, the mission order usually says Makati, so for that day, we go around hot spots for piracy in the Makati area,” he added.

 

GMA News Online was still trying to get a reaction from Ricketts as of posting time. —KBK, GMA News