San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora on Tuesday, May 28, said the city government has stepped up its efforts to curb the sale of counterfeit products through the implementation of a 10-year comprehensive roadmap.

Zamora praised the management of Greenhills Mall for leading the effort in curbing the number of counterfeit sellers.

"The City Government of San Juan commends Greenhills Mall for exerting a lot effort in getting rid of counterfeit sellers by implementing its 10-year comprehensive roadmap. We laud their continues coordination with the San Juan City Government, the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines IPOPHL, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to weed out imported fake products in its tiangge area and transition to selling high-quality, yet affordable, products proudly made in the Philippines," Zamora said in a statement.

"We also welcome the opening of the new GH Mall which houses many popular and established international and local brands, restaurants, and commercial establishments. It has been drawing very heavy foot traffic since it opened and is a very big help in our city's revenue generation," he added.

On May 9, the IPOPHL conducted a discussion with the management of the mall regarding the latter's ongoing developments in its campaign to encourage its flea market traders to shift away from counterfeit products.

At the meeting, Greenhills Shopping Center (GSC) Assistant Vice President and Trade Fairs and Exhibits Head James Candelaria presented the mall’s 10-year roadmap, which aims to gradually move 100 percent of its merchants away from selling intellectual property (IP) infringing products by 2027.

These include the reduction of the number of its stalls from 1,771 to 1,412 wherein 80 percent of the traders have gone through the transition program and are now selling local products, Halal items, jewelry, antiques, furniture pieces and artworks.

He also showed that over the years since the implementation of the roadmap, the mall was able to weed out nearly 299 stores by suspension.

The GSC suspended stores that violate its rules, including IP rules, and majority of the suspended sellers, Candelaria said, did not return to GSC.

“What we have done so far is really to educate our traders along the way, to tell them that it’s time to change and that there are other products to profit from,” Candelaria said.

The mall had recently launched a learning event together with the DTI that was attended by over 400 merchants, and “Bagsakan” events where the GSC showcases local products traders could explore selling.

Since 2022, the mall has refused to accept applicants who intend to sell bags, watches and similar products, except where local manufacturers or labeled products are involved. The category usually makes up a big share of the counterfeit products seized by the National Committee on IP Rights (NCIPR).

The GSC also provided incentives to stores that sell local delicacies and items, placing them at premium locations, which stand at various entrances of the building where the flea market is located.