The Philippine National Police (PNP) ordered commanders of territorial forces to coordinate with local government units (LGUs) in exploring existing legal authorities to check on suspicious warehouses and other areas that serve as storage and distribution points of smuggled cigarettes in their respective areas.

At the same time, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. tasked the chiefs of police to further step up the good relationship with the community in terms of peace and order measures.

Nartatez said the discussion on the inspection authority of the local government units is helpful especially at the barangay level since barangay officials and residents are usually aware of what is happening in their respective communities.

But he emphasized the need to ensure that all police actions must observe the operational procedure not only to avoid legal troubles but to set a good example in the community on the rule of law.

“We are on the right track in our campaign against cigarette smuggling as proven by the billions of pesos worth of tobacco products that we confiscated so far. I am certain that we will be able to do more with the help of the residents and officials down to the barangay level,” said Nartatez.

Nartatez’ order was apparently buoyed by the two recent operations in San Simon, Pampanga and Parang, Maguindanao where more than P100 million worth of smuggled cigarettes were confiscated.

A netizen’s monitoring of Facebook live streaming of successful operations against tobacco products resulted in a tip-off on a similar warehouse in Pampanga where P70 million worth of cigarettes were confiscated. 

In Maguindanao del Norte, a tip-off resulted in the interception of over P42 million worth of smuggled cigarettes.

Nartatez said that once the people themselves witness the hard work and dedication of the policemen in the performance of their duty, public appreciation is translated to information sharing related on peace and order in most cases.

He explained that vital information against criminal elements and activities usually come from local residents and officials, especially from the barangay level, and eventually lead to successful anti-criminality operations.

“Police and community relationships that are built on trust are an essential ingredient in effective law enforcement and efficient implementation of peace and order measures. We in the Philippine National Police must continue to enhance this in order to sustain what we have been gaining in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the Filipino people we vowed to protect and serve,” said Nartatez.

“At the end of the day, we both have a common goal of making every street and every community a safe place to live, and a secured place to country to invest in,” he added.’’

The PNP has been on the frontline in the operations against cigarette smuggling, confiscating billions of pesos worth of illegal cigarettes in various raids that include warehouses.