In order to challenge open source, he said private software companies are pirating open source experts. 'A prominent software company has been poaching Red Hat employees across the Asian region and they are being employed to challenge Red Hat,' he reported.

Anson added such action causes confusion and credibility issues on both private software firms and open source companies, making customers wonder which side is telling the truth.

He also expressed doubt on the real intent of a statement issued by the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), urging companies to scrutinize House Bill 5769, which is undergoing hearing in Congress.

The bill seeks to mandate government agencies and state-run schools to use open source solutions instead of proprietary software.

PSIA describes the bill as a 'short-sighted, myopic and a disservice to both users and developers of software.' The group says both users and developers of software should have the freedom of choice as to which technology can best address their unique business needs and requirements.