DA seeks tougher stance vs illegal tobacco trade

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture is looking to strengthen its fight against illegal tobacco trade through further coordination with industry stakeholders and international partners.

Agriculture Undersecretary Roger Navarro said the Philippines, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), should leverage its position to improve anti-illicit tobacco protocols.

He added that the regional bloc must improve its track and trace systems to halt tobacco smuggling within Southeast Asia.

“All of us should work together so that there will be a stoppage of all these illegal illicit tobacco trade,” Navarro said during a tobacco summit in Pasig City.

He added that there must also be stronger coordination with the country’s tobacco industry, international partners and civil society.

Separately, National Tobacco Authority president and CEO Belinda Sanchez said that ASEAN must strengthen its cross-border collaboration and share best practices.

She noted that the country must also support more coordinated efforts to detect, prevent and stop illicit tobacco trade as ASEAN chair.

Sanchez added that illegal tobacco trade must extend beyond national borders. “Illicit tobacco trade is a regional issue, and it demands regional cooperation,”

She said that illicit trade also affects the income of about 2.2 million tobacco farmers, workers and their families.

“It is a source of income, stability and opportunity. It supports households, contributes to local economies and helps sustain communities,” Sanchez said.

About P40 billion to P52 billion in losses are reported annually from smuggled and untaxed cigarettes, according to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Excise taxes collected from tobacco are allocated to fund the Universal Health Care Act and for local government units in tobacco-producing regions.

“This is why illegal tobacco trade must be viewed not only as a law enforcement issue but an issue of economic and a rural development concern,” Navarro said.