Clark, Pampanga – Journalists in Central Luzon attending a regional media workshop organized by the National Press Club (NPC) have called on local government units (LGUs) which have strict anti-smoking policy to also go hard against traders of illegal cigarettes in their areas.
“We call on Local Government Units (LGUs) with strict anti-tobacco policies but high illicit trade to take decisive action against illegal tobacco networks,” the Central Luzon journalists said in a manifesto they executed during the workshop.
They added: “We urge LGUs, law enforcement, and the private sector to enforce policies effectively and transparently, targeting networks that fuel the trade.”
The NPC regional media workshop entitled “Media in Time of Fakes”, held in Clark, Pampanga, was the press club’s second regional media workshop tackling fake news and fake cigarettes. The first regional workshop was held in Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao.
The Central Luzon media also believed that a holistic, coordinated action with LGUs and law enforcement units is needed to effectively combat illicit tobacco trade.
The workshop participants who represented print, radio and digital media outlets in Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Pampanga and Bulacan nevertheless noted that LGUs which are very strict on their anti-smoking campaign are the ones with high illicit tobacco incidence.
Based on data presented by the Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) and the National Tobacco Administration (NTA), Bataan province in Central Luzon, which enforces an anti-tobacco policy that even exceeds of what is provided under law, has also the highest illicit trade incidence of 58% in the entire Luzon region.
Bataan’s illicit tobacco numbers have also catapulted North and Central Luzon to the position of having the second highest illicit trade problem in the entire country with 12.8% incidence while Mindanao remains number one with 51% incidence.
Visayas has about one percent illicit tobacco incidence but is still growing.
The most traded illicit cigarette brands in Luzon region are Modern, RGD, Carnival, New Two Moon and H&P Red.
The members of the media further pledged to use investigative journalism to expose and tackle illicit tobacco trade like following up on cases beyond initial raids, covering judicial outcomes up to successful prosecution and “present a complete narrative to ensure public awareness and accountability.”
Industry data also revealed that the illegal cigarettes mainly come from Indonesia and Malaysia transported by sea and distributed by land with entry points in Zamboanga, General Santos, Davao and Palawan.
Government revenues from the tobacco industry have dramatically dropped from a record high tax collection of P176 billion in 2021 to P135 billion in 2023, which can be partly attributed to rampant tobacco smuggling.
Estimates by both Congress and the BIR placed the annual losses from illicit tobacco trade from a low of P60 billion to a high of P100 billion.
