Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Saturday pressed the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to aggressively ramp up enforcement operations against the rampant smuggling of tobacco and electronic cigarette products into the country.
The lawmaker made the appeal in light of successive seizures of contraband cigarettes and mounting alarm over the severe health hazards that illicit vapes pose to the public, particularly minors.
Gatchalian raised concerns that the accessibility and low cost of black-market vape products are actively disrupting the youth’s education and well-being.
“Sa halip na nakatutok sa pag-aaral, marami sa ating mga kabataan ang nalululong sa paggamit ng vape dahil madali at murang nabibili ang mga smuggled na produktong ito,” Gatchalian said.
Instead of focusing on their studies, many of our youth are becoming addicted to using vapes because these smuggled products are easy and cheap to buy.
To highlight the economic gravity of the issue, the senator pointed to data from the EU-ASEAN Business Council and Euromonitor International. The report estimates that the Philippine government hemorrhaged approximately ₱141 billion in potential revenue during 2024 and 2025 solely due to the illicit tobacco trade.
Beyond the staggering fiscal losses, Gatchalian warned that the unchecked flow of illegal cigarettes and vapes degrades national governance by fostering corruption, weakening the rule of law, and creating unfair competition for law-abiding local businesses.
“Malaking bawas sa kita ng gobyerno ang patuloy na smuggling ng cigarette at vape products,” he noted.
The continuous smuggling of cigarette and vape products is a huge deduction from government revenues.
The senator concluded by emphasizing the hidden dangers behind unregulated alternative smoking devices, noting that untraceable manufacturing standards leave consumers exposed to unknown chemical hazards.
“Higit pa riyan, nagdudulot ito ng panganib sa kalusugan ng ating mga kababayan dahil hindi natin tiyak kung saan nagmumula ang mga produktong ito,” he added.
More than that, it poses a danger to the health of our countrymen because we are not certain where these products are coming from.