The budget shopper is no stranger to the sprawling alleys of shopping hubs such as Greenhills, Baclaran, Divisoria, and Cartimar — where one can purchase just about anything from affordable clothes and accessories in bulk, a wide array of flowers, to niche items like hobby gear, collectibles, and other curiosities.
With these wares sourced from a variety of places such as China, the European Commission Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List has tagged these places as hubs for counterfeit goods.
The EU Watch List identified these four markets as offering a wide range of counterfeit goods on a retail and wholesale basis. The report said that the most commonly sold counterfeit goods are shoes, and also alleged that some stalls also run online shops that peddle fakes.
The report mentioned that “no police actions are taken” when it comes to the Baclaran and Divisoria marketplaces in Parañaque City and the city of Manila, respectively. Meanwhile, the stalls in Greenhills and Cartimar reportedly sell higher-quality counterfeit goods.
It also mentioned that the National Bureau of Investigation seized EUR1 million (US$1.078 million) worth of possible counterfeit goods in Greenhills shopping center in April last year, and pledged publicly to curb the sale of counterfeits.
This is the first time the EU Watch List has flagged the Philippine marketplaces since its launch in 2018.
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