Senate Approves Bill to Abolish Optical Media Board

The Senate of the Philippines has approved on third and final reading a measure abolishing the Optical Media Board, citing the decline of physical media and the shift of piracy activities to digital platforms.

Under Senate Bill No. 1654, lawmakers concluded that the agency created to combat piracy of optical discs such as DVDs and CDs has already served its purpose as media consumption increasingly moves online.

The bill was authored by Sherwin Gatchalian and sponsored on the Senate floor by Robin Padilla.

Padilla said the agency’s mandate has become less relevant as piracy operations are now largely carried out through illegal streaming and digital distribution rather than through the sale of physical discs.

Once the measure becomes law, the remaining functions and resources of the Optical Media Board will be transferred to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, which is responsible for enforcing intellectual property rights in the country.

Lawmakers said the move is part of efforts to streamline government operations and align enforcement strategies with the current digital landscape.