Everyone wants the real thing.

Who wants to buy knock-offs or imitation versions of designer or high-end products?

The purpose of buying and keeping luxury products is not only for the prestige of having them but to serve as a “storehouse of value”.

Gold, precious stones, and luxury leather goods have a thriving secondary market where people can buy and sell their prized possessions.

Protecting the integrity of manufactured goods also fosters creativity and innovation as producers are assured of the full benefits of their products.

In short, a counterfeit-free market is mutually beneficial to both producers and buyers.

Quite tragically, our record in intellectual property protection is far from being admirable. As a matter of fact, we are a serial violator of IP rights.

And this fact is shaming the government into cracking down on IP piracy. The need to address the problem is even more compelling to the Aquino administration which reaffirmed its vow of moral leadership into its second year in office.                

Thus, the administration  announced it was targeting  to destroy at least P10 billion worth of counterfeit goods this year as the country seeks to be removed from a US blacklist of nations tolerating intellectual piracy.

The country remains on this year’s US Trade Representative’s lower-level Watch List of countries deemed not to be doing enough to protect intellectual property rights.

But the report, released in May, cited progress made by the Philippines and other trading partners in enacting significant legislation protecting intellectual property.

Thursday’s crushing of P350 million worth of fake designer goods at Camp Crame during the World Anti-Counterfeiting Day was just a “tip of the iceberg,” Intellectual Property Office director  Ricardo Blancaflor said.

“This is  only the tip of the iceberg. This is just a small portion of the confiscated goods that we got from the first six months of 2001 which is now P1.4 billion,” Blancaflor was quoted by  a major broadsheet as saying.

Customs Commissioner Lito Alvarez said agents have seized P50 million worth of assorted counterfeit footwear and audio equipment on Wednesday.

“That is to rid the country of stigma of being referred to as the dumping ground of fake consumer products,” said Alvarez as he challenged the IPO to make the ceremonial destruction of intellectual rights monthly instead of yearly.

“Let us not waiver in our belief that together we can win the war against intellectual property rights violators,” he  added.

Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno said more investors would come in if piracy is curbed in the country.

For his part, Optical Media Board chairman Ronald Ricketts urged consumers  to protect  and promote the IP rights of artists and manufacturers.

“We support  this anti-counterfeiting day. Let’s buy original,” said the former action star.