BUSINESS Software Alliance together with the government recently destroyed pirated software CD-ROMs seized during past raids in Cebu to further raise awareness of the importance of Intellectual Property Rights.

The destruction ceremony kicked off a joint IPR education campaign by the Department of Trade and Industry Cebu provincial office and the BSA, and signaled a united front by the public and private sector against software piracy.

Participating in the event were BSA vice president Huey Tan, DTI director Nelia V.F. Navarro, and National Bureau of Investigation regional director

Ramon Duyongco.

''We are delighted with the enthusiasm shown by the DTI in Cebu in this joint project. With such strong commitment and support, we believe that the zero-tolerance policy toward software piracy will benefit everyone,'' Tan said.

''As part of our joint initiative to build awareness among consumers and also to serve as a deterrent to potential infringers, including resellers, this is a significant development for members of the BSA and the local software industry,'' he added.

Tan said the support thrown by the DTI, NBI, and the Prosecutors Office was a tremendous boost to the antipiracy campaign of BSA.

BSA has worked closely together in the past with law enforcement agencies in its drive against sellers of pirated software and computer resellers who load unlicensed software into computers for sale to the public.

Moreover, the alliance has further intensified its effort against software piracy after the appointment by President Estrada last month of BSA president Robert Holleyman to the international advisory board of the National Information Technology Council.

The Philippine piracy rate is estimated at 77 percent last year, down from a high of 94 percent in 1994. This means that nearly seven out of 10 personal computers are loaded with illegal software, accounting for a loss of over US$31.10 million annually.

Still, Tan applauded the drop in the piracy rate as it has increased employment and exports among the players in the local IT industry.

''Exports of Philippine-developed software have increased significantly over the past few years into a multimillion-dollar business, which illustrates the country's effective innovation in the industry. The positive effect of reducing piracy in the Philippines results in very real benefits for the entire economy and community,'' he said.

This fact was not lost on Navarro, who noted that Cebu is now embarking on a ''zero-tolerance'' policy toward software piracy. ''We realize that the IT industry is a powerful engine for economic growth. Each province in the Philippines has the potential to take advantage of the growth of IT and e-commerce,'' she said.

As this developed, BSA announced that over the next few days, more than 1,000 companies in Cebu will receive educational materials on software copyright.

The materials will highlight the importance of strong software copyright protection and the role played by organizations and business in encouraging software development and technology innovation.

Companies that receive these materials are requested to inspect the software loaded into their computers, review their software use, and return a completed voluntary software declaration form to the DTI as a sign of their commitment to using licensed software.

Navarro warned of dire consequences to the Philippine economy if the government fails to uphold the IP Code. ''Software copyright protection must be viewed in the context of our commitments to our global trading partners,'' she said.