REP. Nathaniel Oducado of 1Tahanan Partylist urged members of the House of Representatives to legislate stronger penalties against cigarette and tobacco smugglers. Oducado made the call following the seizure of more than P1.5 billion worth of illegally imported cigarette products in Malabon City on Dec. 31. “The illegal importation, manufacture, sale, distribution, and possession of cigarettes have become a serious and persistent problem that undermines public revenue, weakens tax administration, distorts fair competition, and threatens public health. These figures show that illicit cigarette trade is no longer isolated or incidental, but systemic and widespread,” Oducado said in a statement, noting that cigarette smugglers have been operating “without fear of punishment for far too long.” Recent anti-tobacco smuggling operations include the seizure of P143 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in Quezon City last week, P5.2 million in Zamboanga City on Dec. 3, P2.4 million in Brooke’s Point, Palawan on Dec. 25, and P120 million in Pampanga on Dec. 28. Oducado recently filed House Bill 6965, which aims to introduce stiffer penalties for smugglers. Under the measure, stronger sanctions will be imposed on organized and large-scale smugglers, including financiers and masterminds, regardless of the volume of contraband seized. “With this bill, we will also classify organized and large-volume illicit cigarette trade as economic sabotage, reflecting the serious and lasting harm it inflicts on the national economy and public welfare,” Oducado said. He added that certain provinces are flooded with smuggled cigarettes, indicative of organized and well-financed smuggling operations. In recent years, the share of illicit cigarettes in the Philippine market has increased from 7.4 percent in 2021 to 18.4 percent by the end of 2024. There are projections, he noted, indicating that illegal cigarettes may account for as much as 21 percent of total cigarette sales nationwide. “Smugglers kill the local industry with unfair competition and endanger the lives of the public with unsafe, unregulated products. We lawmakers cannot let these crime syndicates and their protectors run rampant,” Oducado said.