Following the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) seizure of over 1.7 million fake branded items worth around ₱15.8 billion, the country’s second-largest revenue collection agency has partnered with global fashion brand Guess for an intensified campaign against counterfeit goods.

As per the BOC’s reports, the most recent crackdown on counterfeit goods marks “one of the country’s biggest anti-counterfeiting operations to date.”

A follow-up inspection was conducted last week through the BOC’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Intellectual Property Rights Division (CIIS-IPRD). This was led by Kristian Nico Acosta, Guess Philippines’ legal head.

Reports also showed that the CIIS-IPRD returned to warehouses in a Divisoria commercial complex where fake bags, clothes, and accessories with unauthorized logos of brands such as Guess, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, and Tory Burch had earlier been seized.

Acosta stressed the “strengthened cooperation between BOC and brand owners in combating intellectual property violations.”

“These fakes aren’t just illegal,” Acosta said. “They endanger consumers and destroy legitimate businesses.”

Acosta noted that the BOC has “embraced technology, fast-tracked prosecution, and boosted cooperation with brand owners” under the leadership of Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio.

“The targeted warehouses had long been flagged by Guess and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. The counterfeiters were selling items both in-store and online,” Rubio stressed.

Acosta lauded the agency’s streamlined procedures and data-driven enforcement as key to the agency’s improved operations.

He also pointed to BOC’s active role in the 2024 E-Commerce deal, which enhances accountability for online intellectual property violations (IPR). He added that the BOC’s updated strategy sets a strong example for enforcing intellectual property rights.

“This is about protecting Filipinos and creating a fair, honest market,” Rubio said, noting that the president has given “clear and strict instructions to stop counterfeit goods at the border and beyond.”

Rubio vowed that the BOC “will continue to work with brand owners, online platforms, and global agencies to uphold consumer safety and crack down on fake goods nationwide.”