POLICE seized over half-a-million pesos worth of raw materials and equipment used in manufacturing fake backpacks in a shanty at sitio Isla de Palma in barangay Looc, Mandaue City last Friday.
Armed with a search warrant issued by Mandaue City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Teresita Galanida, a team from the Mandaue City police’s Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) raided the shanty occupied by three people.
The team seized P100,000 worth of raw materials for fabricating backpacks which bore similarities with backpacks manufactured and sold by Habagat Outdoor Philippines.
The company said the fake backpacks were manufactured by someone identified only as a certain Richard.
Also seized were four sewing machines estimated at P90,000 each.
Chief Insp. Jimmy Fortez, IDMB chief, said Habagat Outdoor Philippines production manager Pamela Deche accompanied them during the raid.
Deche said the difference between a genuine Habagat backpack and a fake one can be determined by its zipper.
“Pareho gyud og porma sa pagkatahi pero wala la’y tatak (They were sewn similarly but the fake one has no markings),” Fortez said.
He said three sewers told him that the backpacks are sold by volume from P250 to P300. The original Habagat bags are priced from P650 to P750. Fortez said the three sewers can finish 50 backpacks a day.
He said Habagat Philippines filed a complaint against the counterfeiters after their sales went down.
Fortez said they cannot arrest the three sewers since the search warrant is limited to the confiscation of equipment and materials used in making the backpacks.
He said it’s up to the prosecutors to file a case against Richard for violating section 155 of Republic Act 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.
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