Authorities in the Philippines have destroyed two million pirated CDs, DVDs and cassettes at a ceremony presided over by President Gloria Arroyo.

Four steamrollers ran over the illegal recordings spread out on a pavement outside the national police headquarters in the capital, Manila.

The movie and recording industry artists have been crying and complaining for so long

President Gloria Arroyo

The copies - worth an estimated $1.6m - were all seized from dealers in Manila in raids over three days.

The move follows international pressure on South East Asian and Pacific Rim countries to crack down on pirated recordings.

Artists from the film and recording industries also witnessed the destruction.

The US-based International Intellectual Property Alliance said in a recent report that the Philippines had the potential of becoming "a centre" of pirated recordings.

The country is ranked as the third worst offender in South East Asia - behind Malaysia and Indonesia - by the London-based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Pursuing the Big Fish

President Arroyo said more operations against recording pirates were planned.

"The movie and recording industry artists have been crying and complaining for so long," she said.

Ramon Revilla Jr - an actor and head of the Philippines' Videogram Regulatory Board - said the seizures were only the beginning, and he pledged to wipe out piracy networks in the Philippines.

Illegal recordings are damaging the Filipino film industry

"We have more to come," he said. "After this we will go after the big fish. We will wipe them all out."

He said he was seeking tougher legislation against piracy.

Current laws punish video and music piracy with a fine of 10,000 pesos ($200) and a maximum prison term of one year, said Carlo Uminga, the board's legal counsel.

Officials say that another 1.7 million pirated CDs are awaiting a court order for destruction.

Mr Revilla said that three pirate video or music CDs sell for about 100 pesos ($2) - about 10% of the price of real products.

He said that piracy had badly affected the film industry in the Philippines and cost many jobs.