PNP chief vows to prioritize crackdown on illicit cigarette trade

Manila, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Benjamin Acorda said that fighting illegal cigarette trades, including smuggling and counterfeit products, is a top priority for the PNP. 

Acorda made the statement during a recent budget hearing at the House of Representatives, where the budget for the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), including funding for the PNP in 2024, was discussed.

Rep. Yevgeny Vicente "Bambi" Emano of the 2nd District of Misamis Oriental expressed his concerns about the alarming proliferation of illicit cigarettes in Mindanao, particularly within his district.

The lawmaker also highlighted how this illegal trade had left thousands of tobacco farmers unemployed, posing a threat to their livelihoods.

During the hearing, Emano presented photographic evidence of various smuggled cigarette brands from Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental, highlighting that they were being sold as cheap as P45 per pack in public places. This price marked a significant contrast to the legal counterparts, which usually cost around P160 per pack.

“The audacity of selling it in a market, those illegal brands and by reams and in front of public markets. It will certainly, definitely affect my tobacco farmers,” Emano said. 

“Can I get the commitment of the PNP of more operations to apprehend, jail and whatever they will do to hopefully stop those illegal cigarette trade and which are actually sold also in the islands of Mindanao?” he added.

Acorda replied that the PNP is fully committed to eradicating smuggling and the sale of illegal cigarettes. 

"We will consider that as one of our primary considerations,” the PNP chief said.

Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office last year, the PNP has actively enforced Oplan Mega Shopper to combat the sale of smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes nationwide. They have also increased checkpoints, resulting in the confiscation of millions of pesos worth of illegal cigarettes.

Marcos has also appealed to the Senate and the House of Representatives to pass a bill amending the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, introducing stricter penalties and longer jail terms. The proposed changes also classify tobacco and cigarettes as "agricultural commodities."