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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Ang laki ng nawawala': Luzon solon stresses need to curb illicit tobacco trade

'Ang laki ng nawawala': Luzon solon stresses need to curb illicit tobacco trade

Published Jun 2, 2026 10:56 am

At A Glance

  • Bernos warns of illicit tobacco, stressing that smuggling costs the government billions in lost revenue and weakens its ability to deliver services during a crisis.
  • He cites massive losses, with reports showing P141 billion in foregone revenue in 2024 and 2025, high levels of illicit e-vapes and cigarettes, and the Philippines ranking third in Southeast Asia for revenue loss.
  • He calls for stronger enforcement, urging cooperation among PNP, BIR, BOC, LGUs, and ASEAN members, alongside investment in customs technology, to protect farmers, legitimate traders, and ensure more services for the people.
(Unsplash)
(Unsplash)


A congressman from up north is calling for an intensified campaign against the illicit tobacco trade, which he says continues to cost the government billions in foregone revenue.
According to Abra lone district Rep. JB Bernos, such continued leakage of revenue hampers the delivery of much-needed services to the people, a lawmaker from one of the country’s major tobacco-producing provinces said.
“Dahil sa paglipana ng illegal tobacco products ay napipilayan ang pamahalaan at naaapektuhan ang kakayahan nitong maglingkod sa ating mga kababayan, lalo na ngayong nasa gitna tayo ng krisis,” Bernos said in a statement.
(Because of the proliferation of illegal tobacco products, the government is being crippled and its ability to serve our people is being affected, especially now that we are in the middle of a crisis.)
“At a time when government needs every centavo it can get to fund social services and other sectors, a stronger anti-smuggling drive would greatly help in ensuring the government and the people get their due from these products," he noted.
Bernos’ call came amid news that the Philippines lost a whopping P141 billion in government revenue to illicit tobacco trade in 2024 and 2025.
According to a report released earlier by the EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) and Euromonitor International Ltd., the country posted the third-highest revenue loss among six Southeast Asian countries covered by the study, after Indonesia and Malaysia.
The same report estimated that around 85.6 percent of e-vapes sold in the country last year were illicit products, while illicit cigarettes accounted for 25.3 percent of the local market, significantly higher than the ASEAN-6 average of 16.1 percent.
Bernos called for greater cooperation among the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Bureau of Customs (BOC), and local government units (LGUs) in enforcing more intensified anti-smuggling operations.
The Ilocano also underlined the need for improved regional coordination among ASEAN members to address gaps in monitoring and enforcement particularly across borders, and continued investment in customs technology such as better digital track-and-trace systems.
“Our fight against illicit tobacco is not only for farmers and legitimate traders who are being displaced, but for the entire nation. Simply put, more revenue means more services," he said.

Related Tags

Tobacco JB Bernos Abra BOC BIR
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