ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PMFTC turns over motorcyles, boats to support PNP anti-smuggling efforts

PMFTC turns over motorcyles, boats to support PNP anti-smuggling efforts

Published Feb 12, 2026 01:50 pm
PMFTC DONATION -- The Philippine National Police accepts 30 motorcycle units and two rapid response boats donated by PMFTC to strengthen the fight against illicit tobacco trade. Present at the turnover ceremony at Camp Crame, Quezon City are (from left) Maj. Gen. Martin E. Defensor, Jr., Directorate for Logistics of the Philippine National Police (PNP), PNP Chief General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., Nicolas Otte, Vice President of Philip Morris International (PMI) Illicit Trade Prevention (ITP) Operations, and Lonneke van Zundert, Director of PMI ITP SSEA CIS & MEA.
PMFTC DONATION -- The Philippine National Police accepts 30 motorcycle units and two rapid response boats donated by PMFTC to strengthen the fight against illicit tobacco trade. Present at the turnover ceremony at Camp Crame, Quezon City are (from left) Maj. Gen. Martin E. Defensor, Jr., Directorate for Logistics of the Philippine National Police (PNP), PNP Chief General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., Nicolas Otte, Vice President of Philip Morris International (PMI) Illicit Trade Prevention (ITP) Operations, and Lonneke van Zundert, Director of PMI ITP SSEA CIS & MEA.
As illicit cigarette consumption continues to challenge government revenues and law enforcement efforts, PMFTC, Inc. has expanded its collaboration with authorities by providing additional assets to the Philippine National Police (PNP) to help curb illicit trade nationwide.
To boost enforcement capabilities, PMFTC donated 30 motorcycles and two rapid-response boats, allowing police units to improve patrol coverage, respond more quickly to incidents, and extend operations across both land and coastal areas.
“The fight against illicit trade is complex and relentless. It undermines public safety, weakens the economy, and erodes public trust,” said Vice President of PMI Illicit Trade Prevention (ITP) Operations Nicolas Otte. “Addressing it demands not only enforcement, but also cooperation between the government and the private sector.”
The asset turnover ceremony took place on February 12 at Camp Crame, Quezon City, in the presence of PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr., highlighting PMFTC’s continued commitment to supporting enforcement actions against illicit trade.
Illicit tobacco has surged in the Philippines, with market share increasing from 6% in 2020 to 23% in 2025, and nearly seven in ten illicit products originating overseas.
To date, enforcement operations have resulted in the seizure of more than 2 billion sticks of illicit cigarettes. PMFTC’s initiative aims to advance these efforts further. This includes prior donations of computer equipment and Fleet Cards to support administrative efficiency and to ensure that donated vehicles and patrol assets remain operational without causing immediate budgetary strain on local police units.
“We have been hard-hitting in the fight against illicit cigarettes. This is a shared responsibility of everyone,” shared Nartatez. “We remain committed to pursuing these illicit activities.”
This initiative underscores PMFTC’s steadfast commitment to working closely with the PNP and supporting its capability to strengthen the country’s fight against large-scale smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and cartel activities and contribute to safer communities.
Otte stated, “This is our way of standing beside the PNP. We hope it serves not only as equipment or support, but as a signal of full trust and confidence and an acknowledgement that progress is strongest when institutions work together with transparency, integrity, and mutual respect.”

Related Tags

NATIONAL NEWS Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Co. turnover ceremony
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.