Manila, March 9 -- The Senate on Monday approved five measures, including a bill abolishing the Optical Media Board (OMB) and transferring its powers and functions to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

Senate Bill No. 1654, which received 20 affirmative votes with no negative or abstention votes, abolishes the OMB created under Republic Act No. 9239 and transfers its regulatory and enforcement functions to IPOPHL.

As sponsor of the measure, Senator Robinhood Padilla said the bill updates government structures to reflect the shift from disc-based media to digital platforms.

"Sa paglipas ng panahon, nagbago na ang teknolohiya at paraan ng pagkonsumo ng pelikula, musika at iba pang nilalaman mula sa disc-based m...