The internal revenue bureau reported Wednesday this week that they raided seven makeshift warehouses in Brooke’s Point town and found 227,351 packs of smuggled cigarettes, amounting to an estimated ₱159,693,543 in tax liabilities.
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. personally reported the raids conducted on May 1 on his verified Facebook account.
He warned that individuals who are involved in the operation of the warehouses will answer to law as they will face several charges for violating the National Internal Revenue Code.
“Ang ilegal na vape at sigarilyo ay walang lugar sa Bagong Pilipinas. Susuyurin ng Bagong BIR ang buong Pilipinas para hanapin at kasuhan ang lahat nang nagbebenta ng ilegal na vape at sigarilyo. Magbayad kayo ng tamang buwis,” Lumagui said.
The commissioner disclosed that the raid happened with the support of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the Department of Health (DOH).
Based on the most recent information, it is reported that the Philippine government suffers an annual loss of approximately ₱100 billion in revenue due to the sale of smuggled, unregistered, and unregulated cigarettes in the black market. These illicit products are transported using motorboats to various ports and then distributed to sales points using vans.
In the Philippines, specific provinces experience a significantly high occurrence of illicit trade, indicating widespread availability of smuggled goods. For instance, in Palawan, the illegal tobacco trade nearly doubled from 24.8% in Q4 2021 to 48.1% in Q2 2022, a rate similar to major hotspots in Mindanao.
Illicit cigarettes are currently widespread in areas such as Bataraza, Brooke’s Point, Sofronio Espanola, Rizal, Quezon, Narra, Puerto Princesa, Roxas, San Vicente, and Taytay, as well as in the islands of Cuyo and Linapacan.
