(Unsplash)

The House Committee on Ways and Means has approved a measure that prohibits the online sale of tobacco products, including vape 

Approved by the House members Tuesday, July 23 was the committee report to House Bill (HB) No.10329, or the anti-illicit trade bill authored by Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda. 

Salceda says the aim of the ways and means committee, which he chairs, is to curb the illicit trade of tobacco by taking away the aspect of online selling. 

He said that only those that are registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Bureau of Internal Revenue(BIR)--after the agencies publish such a list--will be allowed access to digital marketplaces. 

“By default, selling tobacco, vape, and other nicotine products will not be allowed online, in line with Republic Act (RA) No. 9211, which prohibits advertising tobacco in mass media, including the Internet.” 

“Only those who are in a list of registered brands issued by the BIR and DTI will be allowed access to the online marketplace,” noted the veteran solon from Bicol. 

The stakes are quite high if nothing is done against the illegal tobacco trade. 

"We have already lost P221 billion in revenues over the past four years as a result of illicit trade in tobacco products. We have to stop the hemorrhaging,” Salceda said. 

Salceda says that he expects the House Committee on Appropriations to approve the funding provisions of the measure this August, so that the bill can hurdle the House of Representatives before the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) in October. 

Apart from the proposed ban on online sale of tobacco and other nicotine products, the bill also includes the following features:

1.The Mandatory use of the Tracking and Tracing System requiring the use of secure digital markers through unique identifier features on tobacco products;

2.Mandatory registration of manufacturing equipment for tobacco products within  30 days from acquisition or disposal;

3.Enumerating the responsibilities of digital platforms in ensuring the absence of illicit covered products in their respective platforms;

4.Rationalization of prohibited acts falling under the crime of Illicit Trade of Covered Products by excluding from the enumeration those covered by the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended, Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, and other special laws;

5.Granting the BIR, through the National Telecommunications Commission, the power to remove illicit product listings on digital platforms; and

6.Outlining the procedure for custody and disposition of confiscated, seized, or surrendered covered products to establish proper chain of custody.