MANILA, Philippines ? The Optical Media Board (OMB) has intensified its surprise inspections of several Metro Manila business centers to check for software pirates.

The OMB visited recently business establishments in the cities of Makati, Pasig, Quezon, Parañaque and Taguig. Agents inspected computers to see if installed software correspond to original licenses.

The OMB previously conducted surprise visits of businesses in North, Central and South Luzon where the agency hauled in over P700 million worth of pirated software, movies and music.

Its biggest catch was the discovery of a would-be CD and DVD replicating factory in Angeles, Pampanga last May. Two machines worth at least P100 million were discovered.

The OMB is part of the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team (PAPT) composed of elements from the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and supported by the private sector-led Business Software Alliance.

?We have been conducting unannounced and random visits of numerous businesses across the country since March this year to complement the PAPT educational campaigns and the raids conducted by the NBI and the PNP,? said OMB chairman Edu Manzano.

In June this year, the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) under the Department of Trade and Industry reported P3.3 billion in seized pirated goods for the first half of 2009.

Of this amount, the PNP and OMB contributed about P2.9 billion in confiscated optical media products.

The remaining amount was from captured fake personal accessories, clothing, and medicine.