Group urges Senate to fast-track passage of Site Blocking Bill

The Philippine Star

October 24, 2024 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — A consumer group has urged lawmakers to fast-track the passage of the long-delayed Site Blocking Bill pending in the Senate before the election season heats up.

The bill aims to amend Republic Act 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code, to protect the country’s creative industries from online piracy and bolster cybersecurity by allowing authorities to block websites that violate intellectual property rights.

Former legislator and co-convenor of CitizenWatch Philippines Kit Belmonte said aside from protecting intellectual property, the bill seeks to safeguard the livelihoods of millions of Filipinos in the creative industry, from filmmakers and musicians to small content creators who suffer due to unchecked piracy.

“We have been supporting the enactment of the Site Blocking Bill together with IPOPHL, the creative industry stakeholders and telecommunications sectors for over five years now. We urge the Senate will finally push this forward into an empowering law that will address the rampant online piracy in the Philippines.”

Belmonte highlighted how the digital landscape is evolving rapidly, outpacing existing laws and leaving creators increasingly vulnerable to piracy.

Sen. Mark Villar, who heads the Senate committee on trade, commerce and entrepreneurship, held its first public hearing on the proposed amendments to RA 8293, which includes site-blocking provisions.

Villar pointed out that 60 percent of Filipinos are estimated to engage in watching pirated content, resulting in significant financial losses for both creators and the government. He reiterated the need to update the law to enable effective site-blocking measures, which would protect the intellectual property of Filipino creators and address the broader economic damage caused by piracy.

Data presented during the hearing by the Asia Video Industry Association showed that Filipino consumers visiting piracy websites are over 21 times more likely to encounter malware compared to legitimate sites.