By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Authorities have found three abandoned illegal cigarette factories in Pampanga, raising suspicions of a syndicate operating in the province.
The discovery follows the Jan. 29 raid on a similar facility in Mexico, Pampanga, where millions of pesos worth of illicit cigarettes and equipment were seized.
At a press briefing here on Monday, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla cited the possible presence of a “tobacco lord” in Pampanga allegedly aided by two Central Luzon lawmakers.
“Under investigation sila. So hindi namin papangalanan pero sila ay persons of interest dito (They are under investigation. So we cannot name them yet but they are persons of interest here),” he said.
The abandoned sites were located in San Fernando City, Mexico and San Simon. Security logbooks indicated personnel were last present on Jan. 29 —the same day the fourth factory was raided.
Seized from the three locations were three tobacco drying machines, two manufacturing machines, a packing machine and four packing machine components, along with raw materials, cigarette filters and suspected fake tax stamps.
Remulla said the confiscated evidence, including undocumented cigarettes, were valued at about PHP400 million. Each site could produce up to PHP160 million worth of cigarettes daily.
He said the registered companies, seized machines and two cigarette brands found at the sites were not listed with the National Tobacco Administration.
“Ibig sabihin, 100 percent ilegal ang ginagawa dito (That means everything they’re doing here is 100 percent illegal),” Remulla said.
He added none of the three sites had business permits from their respective local government units.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) vowed to prevent the illegal cigarette trade from evolving into a social menace similar to the now-banned Philippine offshore gaming operators.
In a statement, PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police force “will continue to sustain our successful operations against illegal cigarettes.”
“Our intelligence-gathering and information sharing with other government agencies have been intensified not only in the conduct of operations but also in building airtight cases against those involved,” he said.
The PNP issued the statement after Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo described the illegal cigarette trade as the “new POGO,” alleging it is run by foreigners and marked by inhumane labor conditions. (PNA)
