Philippine porn industry worth $1B ranked eighth in the world

-
According to Noel Barcelona in a May 2009 American Chronicle article, the Philippines tied Canada in eighth place in terms of profits generated by the pornography industry in 2006. Presumably that data came from here.

Pornography is illegal in the Philippines. But that does not seem to deter an undeground industry from raking in megabucks to the tune of $1 billion dollars annually in net profit. That's money that most likely goes to foreign producers, with Philippine operations found to be serving more as subcontractors to these enterprising multinational "investors". And because it is all underground, not a single cent of it goes into public coffers.

According to Barcelona...
The bootlegged DVDs, HD-CDs and VCDs are mainly on sale in Quiapo and Divisoria — both in Manila— and Greenhills, San Juan. Copies are then distributed in stalls all over Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Filmmakers for online porn found "havens" in the cities of Angeles (in Pampanga), Olongapo (in Zambales), Manila, Pasay, Makati, and Quezon City, where they hire prostituted women and men to star in sex films.

... and that...
Almost every month, the [Optical Media Board (OMB)] confiscates hundreds of thousands of counterfeit VCDs and DVDs. From January to September 2008, the OMB has confiscated 4,807,012 CDs costing P1.4 billion ($29,400,000 based on the prevailing peso-dollar exchange rate in Sept. 17, 2008).

There you go. One billion dollars in net profits and not a single cent of that is taxed.

Another legalisation debate to consider.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular this week

Filipinos cannot progress if they cannot follow even simple guidelines

-
Image
A noted blog commentator once made an assertion that the Philippines will never be a great nation unless Filipinos learn to live by the principle of the "rule of law". Indeed, some people even insist that none of the calls by certain sectors of Philippine society for a system change like a shift from a Presidential to a Parliamentary system or even constitutional amendments will work to uplift the status of the nation because Filipinos simply cannot follow the "rule of law."
Read more

Google Philippines' Top 20 most influential Filipino women

-
Image
I recently got a load of Google's list of most "influential" Filipinas (Filipino women) for 2010. The list is utterly dominated by performers along with a handful of notable exceptions: Senator Miriam Santiago (no. 10), Doris Dumlao (journalist, no. 12), Monique Lhullier (designer, no. 17), and Korina Sanchez (journalist, no. 19). These 20 ladies supposedly "grabbed the greatest online mindshare in 2010". So presumably, they reflect the substance of the Filipino collective mind.
Read more

Roundabouts to "solve" Manila traffic - a microcosm of flawed Filipino thinking

-
Image
Roundabouts (or "rotundas" as they are more commonly known as in the Philippines) are being touted by the cash-strapped Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) as "an alternative measure to ease traffic congestion". According to a "simulation study", the MMDA foresees a "200% increase in the speed" of areas where roundabouts can be successfully implemented. ABS-CBN News reports that MMDA spokesperson Tina Velasco expects the following specific benefits coming from the increased use of roundabouts in Metro Manila's intersections:
Read more