Lim to pirated disc vendors: Crackdown to start July 1

After a one-month grace period, Manila city officials will start cracking down on vendors of pirated discs on July 1. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim on Saturday reminded Compact Disc (CD) or Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) vendors of the agreement they reached in a recent meeting. He said he had met at least twice with vendors of the pirated discs, and gave them a one-month grace period so they can sell their remaining stocks. “Basta sa July 1, zero presence ng pirated CD or DVD. Hindi lang sa bangketa ang aalisin, pati ang mga building na ginawa nilang mall," Lim said in an interview on dzRH radio. The local government government is trying to remove the city's label as "one of the most notorious places" in terms selling pirated CDs/DVDs. “Kakausapin nating mabuti kung makuha sa magandang usapan (As much as possible we want to address this problem with peaceful talks)," Lim said. Lim said that starting July 1, city government teams will inspect buildings known for selling pirated discs. He said he also expects the vendors selling pirated CDs and DVDs to have found new means of livelihood by then. “Ang mga building na yan ay hindi pwede bentahan ng pirated disc... Palitan nila ng ibang paninda," he said. — LBG, GMA News