Philippines Pushes for Tougher Prosecution Against Illicit Tobacco Trade

MANILA, Philippines — Amid mounting losses from the illicit tobacco trade, lawmakers and government officials are calling for intensified efforts to prosecute and convict criminal syndicates behind the illegal market, saying seizures alone have failed to deter offenders. Speaking at the Third International Tobacco Summit, Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano urged law enforcement agencies to shift their focus from merely confiscating illicit tobacco products to ensuring that those responsible are successfully prosecuted and convicted. Valeriano, chair of the House committee on public order and safety, stated, “If no one is convicted, no one is afraid and illicit trade will never stop.” He emphasized that the objective should be to make illicit trade “risky, costly, and ultimately unsustainable.” His remarks came amid continuing concerns over the scale of the illicit tobacco market in the Philippines. A recent study by the EU-ASEAN Business Council and Euromonitor International estimated that the government lost at least $2.5 billion, or around P141 billion, in revenues over the past two years due to illicit tobacco products. The study also found that one in every four cigarette sticks and more than four in five vape products sold in the country were illegal, contraband, counterfeit or unbranded. Valeriano said Congress could further strengthen the country’s anti-illicit trade framework and “ensure our laws remain responsive to evolving threats.” One such possibility is a long-proposed Anti-Illicit Trade measure that would improve prosecution mechanisms, enhance inter-agency coordination, and introduce technologies such as track-and-trace systems to monitor tobacco supply chains. During the summit, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said a significant majority of complaints filed under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act required further case build-up because available evidence was insufficient to sustain convictions in court. To date, he said, the National Prosecution Service has filed 45 criminal complaints involving 164 individual respondents. “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 percent 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.” Information Source: Philstar Business