OMB chair on Piolo: He exudes sincerity

Piolo Pascual (left) and OMB Chair Anselmo Adriano

Actor Piolo Pascual, appointed by the Optical Media Board (OMB) as its ambassador, was chosen because of his honesty, according to OMB Chair Anselmo Adriano.

“Piolo has always shown compassion for others—it wouldn’t be new to us if we see him or read about him making a stand for what is just and right,” Adriano told the Inquirer. “He exudes [positivity] and sincerity. This is why his voice and messages make an impact. This is what we need in the OMB: someone who believes in our cause, who’s willing to support us with much conviction and passion.”

The actor announced his affiliation with the agency in March. He told the Inquirer then that his assistance would depend on his schedule, and specific details on spreading awareness against film piracy would still be discussed.

The OMB is tasked with confiscating pirated entertainment content in the compact disc format.

“We’re still finalizing activities that would involve him promoting our advocacy,” Adriano said. “But we believe that his voice will greatly influence the Filipino people.”

The OMB chief related that there were positive developments in the group’s operations. “The numbers are looking great, as well.”

He recounted that from January to April 2017, the agency seized pirated goods estimated at P440,281,540. In the same period last year, the confiscated items only amounted to P219,217,450.

From January to April this year, the group’s legal division filed 1,114 cases against offending parties, about 97 percent more than last year’s first quarter.

“These numbers show that we’re on the right track towards achieving our goals for the first year,” Adriano said.

Aside from tapping Piolo as OMB’s celebrity ambassador, Adriano said the agency had maintained a visible presence online: “We’ve been very active in social media because we realized that many inquiries, complaints and reports of piracy are coursed through the Internet. We have proposals for an SMS-based platform for complaints and feedback.”

Asked if the OMB was extending assistance to CD vendors affected by its antipiracy drive, Adriano said, “We have a memorandum of understanding with the regional operations group of the Department of Trade and Industry. The contract stipulates that the OMB can endorse possible candidates for its Alternative Livelihood Program.

“Also, we have gotten in touch with Tesda (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), which will provide us with the list of courses available to interested parties. Hopefully, it can help create legitimate means of livelihood for them,” he added.

Adriano, whose three-year term ends in 2019, also stressed the need to extend the agency’s jurisdiction beyond compact discs.

He said: “We have to address the need to amend our law in the advent of fast-developing technologies and innovations.”