The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) vowed to shut down all illegal tobacco operations nationwide following the series of successful raids that have so far yielded billions of pesos worth of smuggled cigarettes.

DILG Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic’’ Remulla said the illegal tobacco trades had caused an estimated basic tax deficiency of P3.5 million, with total tax liabilities including penalties and surcharges, reaching around P40 million, funds that could have been used to support the country’s healthcare system.

He emphasized that small retailers are not the main targets as the campaign is focused on “bigger fishes,” particularly organized networks that manufacture, smuggle and distribute untaxed products nationwide.

“We only want to file the minimum charges on them. Kasi naghahanap-buhay lang. It's an honest day's work. It's just that they're not paying taxes,” he noted.

The DILG chief clarified that there was no intention of prosecuting the small retailers to the fullest extent of the law since with the target being the “big fish, manufacturers, smugglers, distributors.’’

“The entire ecosystem has to be disrupted. Illegal tobacco is costing the government P30 billion a year in lost taxes. The P30 billion that goes to the healthcare of the Filipinos, nawawala lahat yan (that all vanishes in thin air),” Remulla insisted.

“Kaya namin ginawa ito dahil dapat na makita n’yo na ang kinukuha namin dito ay ang buong ecosystem ng illegal drugs. We are not anti-poor. We are anti-illegal tobacco (We are doing this because you have to see that what we are after is the whole ecosystem of illegal drugs. We are not anti-poor. We are anti-illegal tobacco),’’ he added.

The recent simultaneous operations conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Agriculture (DA) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) led to the confiscation of approximately 45,000 packs of untaxed cigarettes.