About P472.61 million price of counterfeit goods were confiscated across 43 operations led by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as of end-March, the Mental Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said on Wednesday.
The operations led to the arrest of 56 individuals, with 31 undergoing preliminary investigation, in accordance with a document obtained by reporters.
Nevertheless, the report has yet to incorporate data from other agencies, equivalent to the National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Customs, and the Food and Drug Administration.
In 2025, the agency seized a complete of P29.97 billion price of counterfeit goods, a 27% drop from the P40.99 billion goods seized in 2024.
As of December 2025, the National Committee on Mental Property Rights has recorded 284 arrests and has received 64 complaints.
It also noted that 134 cases are under preliminary investigation, while 3,871 cases have been filed.
Meanwhile, the IPOPHL said that it expects more firms within the automotive and cosmetics industries to sign its E-Commerce Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the protection of IP rights online.
The MoU seeks to ascertain a Code of Practice/Conduct to deal with the proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods sold online.
IPOPHL, which has onboarded 118 signatories for the MoU, is aiming to succeed in 200 this 12 months.
The agency also said it’s pushing for the passage of a measure that can provide protected Geographical Indications (GI) for local products to raised support local industries and eco-tourism.
A GI is a sign that identifies goods originating from a particular place to guard authenticity while avoiding misuse and unfair competition.
“Some localities have products which are only present in their area since it is a product-based style of environment,” IPOPHL Acting Director General Nathaniel S. Arevalo told reporters on Tuesday. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz