PHILIPPINES — When 29-year-old Barare Macadantay’s porn collection was set afire by Manila’s Mayor Alfredo Lim, it wasn’t merely because he has a problem with smut. It was because the P40,000 ($856) worth of VCDs and DVDs were pirated. In addition to the unauthorized copies of copyright protected erotic videos, Lim set the torch to replicating machines – all removed from a Quiapo hotel,
Inquirer.net reports that the destruction was praised by Optimal Media Board (OMB) chair, Edu Manzano, who attended the bonfire held at the Bonifacio Shrine in early August. Quiapo is infamous for the ready availability of pirated discs.
“We will show everyone that we will destroy these materials, so this will serve as a lesson to stop violating the law,” Lim warned potential offenders.
Macadantay had come to justice after a tip to the Manila City Hall Police Department motivated it to send out its District Special Project Unit. The department had received word that someone by the name of “Basare” used a replicating machine inside the Polly and Pinky Lodging House, then provided sexually explicit disc to various vendors in the area.
Senior Police Officer 3, Amador Jareno discovered the accuracy of these claims when he was able to purchase five CDs of Anal Princess Diaries, none of which had seen the business end of a legitimate replicating machine. Although Jareno is unsure how many total discs were apprehended, he estimated that the number was in the “hundreds,” not counting machines and recopied discs.
The secondhand machines used reportedly have the ability to produce as many as 360 discs in one hour. Macadantay has been charged with violating Art. 201 RPC, which deals with the production and sale of pornographic materials, as well as operating a business without a permit and other violations.
This is not the first time that the nation has seized pirated erotic materials. In late July, the National Bureau of Investigation took possession of an estimated P500,000 ($10,695) worth of materials, including DVDs, labels, and computer sets. Jose Chui, the printing press owner, managed to escape and is believed to have provided pirated content throughout Metro Manila. Japanese anime, foreign adult titles, and sex scandals were among those discovered.
