Bye, Fake Flip Flops: P10 Million Worth of Fake Footwear Confiscated

You’ve probably seen hilarious copies of popular footwear brand Havaianas, whose name took irreverent forms as fake flip flops: Hananaias, Hahavaians, or even Haviansans. There will be a smaller chance that you’ll see those being peddled in sidewalks these days, as what seemed like the national distributor of such fake footwear in the Philippines has been raided.

A warehouse in Las Piñas was raided by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last Saturday. It confiscated P10 million worth of counterfeit flip flops and shoes, according to a report by Mav Gonzales of GMA News TV. The NBI said the goods appear to have come from China.

Nationwide distribution

The warehouse is suspected to be the main source of fake footwear sold all over the Philippines. The boxed goods inside the warehouse seemed to be arranged according to their delivery destination, based on labels seen on the walls. Some of the labels seen in the report were places such as Bicol, Laguna, Palawan, Batangas, Novaliches, and Caloocan. The fake footwear from the warehouse also made it to a mall in Pasay, which the NBI also raided.

Buying and selling counterfeit goods is against Philippine law. The NBI warned the public against buying counterfeit goods, which are not only hazardous to health, but also have low quality.