The confiscated materials were contained in 11 separate boxes totaling 427.5 kilograms, which were intercepted by agents last Feb. 17 and 24.

Manzano lauded the local BoC for the interception.

"If all the customs offices are as active as the Bureau of Customs in Cebu, they will make our jobs a lot easier," said Manzano.

The discs contained pornographic films and bootlegged movies from Hollywood and the local films.

The Feb. 17 shipment, totaling 334 kilograms, were contained in eight separate boxes bound for Cebu City and were intercepted by the BOC.

The Feb. 24 seizure by the Police Center for Aviation Security (PCAS) weighed around 93.5 kilograms and were contained in three separate boxes bound for Cagayan de Oro City.

Manzano said Cebu has become a very attractive destination for pirated media because of the local economic boom.

However, the government’s campaign against all forms of piracy has reduced the entry of pirated media into Cebu, he said.

Proof of the campaign’s effectiveness, Manzano said, could be seen in the removal of the Philippines from the United States Trade Representatives’ priority watch list of countries that experience heavy traffic of pirated media.

Manzano, however, said that piracy is still a big problem due to the availability of technology like CD and DVD writers that could be bought at any computer store.

He also said that pirated discs could also be brought in from out of the country, like Malaysia and Indonesia, and shipped here for distribution.

Manzano said the origin of the particular disc could be determined by the discs’ Special Identification (SID) codes.

"The markings on the discs are important because these help us identify their producers," he said.

Manzano noted that the discs confiscated by the Police Center for Aviation Security were of particularly good quality, lending to the theory that these were made in Malaysia.

The covers for these discs, however, could be done by any local printing press.

Manzano took with him to Manila samples of the confiscated discs for forensic testing that could help determine their origins. He said he was especially interested on the piracy of local films.