John Arcilla bats for bill vs online piracy: ‘It’s a threat to entertainment, creative industry’

John Arcilla. Image: screengrab from YouTube/Ogie Diaz

John Arcilla is calling for support to a House measure that seeks to amend the intellectual property code as a means to curb online piracy, saying this menace is killing the entertainment and creative industry.

House Bill 7600 provides for amendments to the intellectual property code, with legislators claiming the proposed law would be an effective deterrent against online piracy and serve as a “strong ally” of the booming streaming business.

In a video posted on Instagram, Arcilla appealed to the public to throw their support behind the proposed law if they want to continue to enjoy watching movies or series that showcase Filipino talent, but which are threatened by the unabated practice of ripping off copyrighted artistic work under the guise of “due process”.

“Ang pagpapahalaga po sa Philippine industry ay pagpapahalaga sa ating lahi at sa kuwento ng mga Pilipino na isinasabuhay sa pelikula, serye, kanta at iba pa. Pero sa kabila po ng galing at talent ng ating industriya, ay napakalaking problema po ang paglaganap ng online piracy,” he said.

(Valuing the Philippine industry is valuing our heritage and the stories of Filipinos that come to life in movies, TV series, songs, and others. However, despite the skills and talents of our industry, the rampant problem of online piracy remains a huge concern.)

“Ang pananatili po ng online piracy ay katumbas ng pagkawala ng hanap-buhay ng ating mga local talents, storytellers, filmmakers at ating mga crew,” he further said. “Gusto po ba natin na sirain ng online piracy ang patuloy na paglago ng industryang nagpapasigla at nagbibigay ng inspirasyon sa ating mga kababayan?”

(The prevalence of online piracy is equivalent to the loss of livelihood for our local talents, story tellers, filmmakers, and crew… Do we want online piracy to destroy the continuous growth of the industry that stimulates and inspires our fellow Filipinos?)

The “Heneral Luna” and “Dirty Linen” star further enjoined senators to craft a similar measure for legislation in order to protect the Philippine creative and entertainment industry.

Arcilla pointed out that the growth of the industry will translate to more jobs and better economy for the Filipino, thus the responsibility to deter online piracy rests not only on the shoulder of the entertainment industry.

“Ang pagkilos po at laban para sa online piracy ay hindi lamang po responsibilidad ng isang industriya kundi responsibilidad po nating lahat para po sa patuloy na paglago ng ating sining, para sa mga mabubuksang trabaho na makapag-unlad sa ating ekonomiya  at para sa mga Pilipino at kuwento ng mga Pinoy na lalo pang ipagbubunyi dito sa atin at sa iba’t ibang bahagi  ng mundo. Magsama-sama po tayong lahat to play it right,” he said.

(The action and fight against online piracy is not only the responsibility of the industry as it is also the responsibility of all for the continued growth of our arts, the jobs that will be opened to improve our economy,  and for the Filipinos and the story about them which we can celebrate here in our country and other parts of the world. Let’s join together to play it right.) EDV

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