Lawmakers, officials seek tougher action vs illegal market syndicates

MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers and government officials have called for stricter prosecution measures against syndicates behind the illegal market in the country, noting insufficient evidence to sustain convictions despite several complaints filed before respective courts.

According to Manila 2nd District Rep. Rolando Valeriano, while he hails successful seizures, discovery of warehouses, and confiscation of illegal goods as “important victories,” he said that the purpose of these activities is to make illicit trade “risky, costly, and ultimately unsustainable.”

“But after the press conference, after the inventory, after the seizure, an important question remains: What happened to the case? Was somebody prosecuted? Was somebody convicted?” Valeriano said during the Third International Tobacco Summit last July 18, as quoted in a press release.

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READ: BOC seizes over P1.17-B suspected smuggled cigarettes in Cebu port

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“If no one is convicted, no one is afraid and illicit trade will never stop,” he added.

Prior to the event, the Department of Agriculture, citing a recent study from the European Union-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Business Council and Euromonitor International, said that the Philippines lost approximately P141 billion in government revenue to illicit tobacco trade between 2024 and 2025. Of this figure, around P118.1 billion went to illicit cigarettes, while P22.9 billion was lost to illegal e-vapor products.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who was also present in the summit, attributed the P141-billion government revenue loss from illegal tobacco trade to the “endemic” corruption in the country.

READ: Remulla says ‘endemic’ corruption made illicit tobacco trade possible

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Also speaking during the same tobacco summit, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon shared that the National Prosecution Service has so far filed 45 criminal complaints involving 164 individual respondents. However, he said that many complaints filed under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act needed case buildup due to lack of sufficient evidence.

“Out of these cases, 10 have already progressed to indictments with appropriate charges already being filed with the Court of Tax Appeals, which now exercises exclusive jurisdiction over these offenses. However, more than 75% of the complaints were referred to concerned law enforcement agencies for further case build-up, having been found to contain insufficient evidence for preliminary investigation at the time of filing,” Fadullon said.

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The Philippine National Police also shared that the police conducted 8,986 anti-smuggling operations from January to June this year, which resulted in 2,560 arrests and seizure of illicit goods worth P8.63 billion. /jpv

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