The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the government’s intensified campaign against illicit tobacco will prioritize large-scale syndicates and financiers, while extending greater consideration to small retailers and vulnerable sectors.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said enforcement efforts should be directed at major operators behind the illegal trade, rather than individuals at the margins of the supply chain who are often drawn into illicit activity.
“We give more compassion towards the smaller people and more enforcement versus the bigger people,” Remulla said during a summit in Pasig City.
He stressed that the impact of illicit tobacco enforcement is often felt most by vulnerable groups, including farmers and small retailers.
“Ang problema ay hindi ang batas, kung hindi yung sino ang apektado ng batas. It’s the fringes of society—the farmers and the retailers—that get affected the most,” he said.
Remulla said the strategy is aimed at dismantling the sources of illicit tobacco distribution, particularly major financiers, foreign operators, and organized syndicates driving the illegal trade.
“Mas gusto kong tirahin yung mga mayayaman, mga dayuhan, at big syndicates, kaysa yung maliliit na tao na walang pambayad ng abogado kung dadalhin mo sa non-bailable case,” he added, stressing that the campaign is not anti-poor.
He also urged the public to report illegal cigarette sales in their communities, noting that coordination with barangay officials and police remains key to enforcement.
Authorities have seized more than P8 billion worth of illegal cigarette products from October 2025 to June 2026 as part of the nationwide crackdown on illicit tobacco operations.