This comedic incident can lead to legal punishments under Republic Act No. 10088, or the Anti-Camcording Act, and Republic Act No. 8293.
You board a bus expecting traffic and a sleepy commute. Instead, the television starts playing a movie that has barely arrived in cinemas.
That was the amusing—and troubling—scene in a Facebook post showing “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” apparently playing inside a bus.
“‘SPIDERMAN: BRAND NEW DAY’ Now showing in selected bus nationwide,” the page “I’m just fine again today” joked.
But beyond the laughs, the post highlights how casually film piracy can be treated in the Philippines. If the copy shown was unauthorized, a newly released movie had made its way into a public vehicle for passengers to watch.
‘No need na cinehan’
Netizens naturally turned the sight into comedy.
“No need na cinehan,” one commented.
“Yung papunta ka sanang cinehan para manood ng spider-man hahahaha,” another wrote.
One joked about refusing to get off until the movie ended, while another said: “Sa ayala lang sana ako bababa umabot pa ako ng monumento tuloy.”
The humor, however, points to a bigger problem. A YouGov survey previously cited by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines and the Film Development Council found that 49% of Filipino respondents had accessed piracy streaming or torrent sites in the 12 months preceding October 2020.
Piracy can mean jail time
Under Republic Act No. 10088, or the Anti-Camcording Act, unauthorized recording of movies inside cinemas can carry imprisonment of six months and one day to six years and one day and fines of ₱50,000 to ₱750,000.
Copyright infringement is also punishable under Republic Act No. 8293, with penalties that increase for repeat offenders.
The bus post is hilarious at first glance. But when a newly released movie playing from an apparently unauthorized source in public barely shocks anyone, it shows just how normalized piracy has become.
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