BUTUAN CITY – Police seized smuggled cigarettes valued at P7 million in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental on Monday, Aug. 11. Two suspected smugglers were apprehended. “The 40-year-old driver and his 25-year-old helper, both residents of Misamis Oriental province, are now under tactical...
With losses from illicit trade reaching nearly $2 billion annually, the local tobacco industry is calling for the creation of a composite strike force to ensure the imprisonment of offenders and deter the continued rise in illicit activity. On the sidelines of a Financial Times event which focused...
BACOLOD CITY - Authorities confiscated 149 boxes of smuggled cigarettes valued at P8.38 million here on Wednesday morning, July 2. Police Major Kent Jerek Capadosa, acting commander of the Maritime Police 4th Special Operations Unit, said police responded to a report about a suspicious vessel and...
BUTUAN CITY – Police seized smuggled cigarettes valued at P103 million in Northern Mindanao from Jan. 1 to June 22. “This is a significant increase compared to the P14.5 million seized during the same period last year,” Police Regional Office 10-Regional Public Information Office chief Police...
Authorities busted an online-enabled illicit vape operation in Bulacan, seizing over 18,000 vape products and counterfeit tax stamps due to a coordinated effort between the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). In a statement, BIR Commissioner Romeo...
BACOLOD CITY – Three individuals were arrested in a checkpoint in Barangay Panubigan, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental on Wednesday night, May 21, for allegedly smuggling 250 reams of assorted cigarettes valued at P1.2 million. Police Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson for Negros Oriental police,...
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Monday, May 19 expressed firm belief that reducing taxes is not the solution to help curb illicit tobacco trade but that strengthening enforcement against such activities is still the best course. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the ways and means...
With illegal tobacco incidence reaching an all-time high of 18.2 percent in 2024, Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) has urged the Marcos administration to recalibrate tax rates to help reverse the declining state of the tobacco industry. The latest industry data showed that illicit cigarettes...
Administrative penalties should be imposed on government officials who are involved in the dismissal of cases of cigarette smuggling, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said. Gatchalian said the stringent penalties should apply especially to state officials who were repeatedly negligent in...
BUTUAN CITY – The Bureau of Internal Revenue-10 this week spearheaded the destruction of smuggled cigarettes valued at P156 million in Northern Mindanao. BIR officials said the move is part of the nationwide crackdown against tax evasion and underscores their commitment to enforcing tax...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian called out online shopping platforms, including Shopee, Lazada, Tiktok Shop, Facebook Market, and Instagram, for allowing the sale of illicit tobacco and vapor products. At a recent Senate hearing, Gatchalian lamented that these online shopping applications have...
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has expressed concern over the widespread smuggling and illicit trade of excisable products, including cigarettes and vapes, warning this could lead to peace and order issues. Aside from this, Gatchalian also said such activities erode the country’s revenue...
