Authorities raided three more warehouses in Pampanga that are believed to have been used as manufacturing and storage sites of smuggled and illegally produced cigarettes amid the ongoing crackdown to ensure that it will not transform into a new POGO-like social menace in the country.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the raided manufacturing sites in San Fernando City, San Simon and Mexico could produce P160 million worth of cigarettes that are distributed across the country at a very affordable price.

The raids in the three sites occurred a week after the Philippine National Police (PNP) raided the same facility in Mexico town, and Remulla said they appeared to have been abandoned.

“All of them shut down their operation after that operation. It’s too much of a coincidence that they simultaneously stopped the operation so we are conducting an investigation to identify the overall mastermind,” said Remulla.

Remulla earlier tagged two politicians in the smuggling and illegal manufacture of illegal cigarettes. He said they remain persons of interest in the ongoing probe.

Authorities seized around P450 million worth of materials and equipment during the three separate raids.

New POGO?

Remulla said the operation of the raided sites had nothing to do with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) but the PNP does not want it to start a social and peace and order problem.

Kidnapping and other criminal activities surged at the height of the POGO operation, including rampant cases of human trafficking that include local and foreign workers not being paid well.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. committed to ensure that the illegal cigarette trade will not transform into a new POGO-like social menace in the country.

“This is the reason why the PNP has been very aggressive in conducting raids and other intelligence-driven operations to confiscate as many illegal cigarettes and shut down warehouses and manufacturing sites,” said Nartatez.

“The Philippine National Police will continue to sustain our successful operations against illegal cigarettes. Our intelligence-gathering and information sharing with other government agencies have been intensified not only in the conduct of operations but also in building airtight cases against those involved,” he added.

The statement follows remarks from Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo that the illegal cigarette trade has become the “new POGO” as it is supposedly operated by foreigners and marred by inhumane labor conditions.

Strong coordination 

He eiterated the PNP’s commitment to be relentless in the fight against illegal cigarette trade, saying it will not allow the scheme to become the “new POGO.”

“We have a clear guidance to stop all the operations relating to illegal cigarette trade, from smuggling to illegal manufacture in the country. And your PNP is doing well in the conduct of operations to stop this illegal activity,” said Nartatez.

“Right now, our efforts to confiscate as many illegal cigarettes and shut down as many warehouses are complemented with gathering pieces of evidence to pin down the financiers and all the masterminds behind this illegal activity,” he added.