Investigate tobacco smuggling — Quimbo

An inquiry into the rising incidence of large-scale tobacco smuggling and its impact on public health and government revenues was sought in the House of Representatives through House Resolution 636.

House Committee on Ways and Means Chairperson Miro Quimbo filed the resolution, citing the seizure of 32 trucks on 1 January 2026 carrying allegedly smuggled cigarettes valued at approximately P2.6 billion.

The alleged smuggled cigarettes were intercepted by the Philippine National Police in coordinated operations in Batangas and Malabon.

Quimbo’s camp highlighted that the “recent seizure confirms that organized cigarette smuggling remains a serious national problem that requires urgent action.”

He said the government lost an estimated P25.5 billion in excise taxes due to illicit tobacco trade and noted that the intercepted items correspond to P875.16 million in tax revenue that the government would otherwise have collected based on the 2026 tax rate.

According to the second district representative of Marikina, large-scale tobacco smuggling weakens both public health policy and tax enforcement by keeping cigarette prices artificially low and undermining the intent of sin tax reforms.