BY RUBY SILUBRICO and JOSELITO VILLASIS
ILOILO City – An online tutorial business fronting for a clandestine call center on Iznart Street here was raided yesterday morning. Thirty-two employees were arrested.
Comtech Universal Philippines violated the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, according to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Region 6.
NBI staged the raid upon the complaint of Avatar Technologies Philippines, Inc.
Avatar claimed Comtech used software stolen from it.
Avatar is a business process outsourcing company with branches in this city and parts of Luzon.
According to NBI investigator Rojon Hosillos, Avatar suspected that a former employee stole its software and put up Comtech.
Comtech, located at the third floor of Rosary Building on Iznart Street, operated as a call center but when it applied for a business permit, it stated it would be operating as an online tutorial business.
The raid was effected around 8 a.m.
NBI agents also seized 30 computer sets.
The search warrant was issued by Judge Reynaldo Daway of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 90 in Quezon City.
Among those named in the search warrant were Ferdinand Gonzales, Joseph Agapao and Mark Jabian, the suspected managers of Comtech. They were not around during the raid.
The chief executive officer of Avatar, Oscar Razzouk, was among those who witnessed the raid.
Hosillos said NBI also raided a Comtech branch in Bulacan province. The office there was suspected to be using stolen Avatar software, too.
Those arrested yesterday were taken to the NBI office./PN
