BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. actively led on Jan. 25, 2023 the agency’s first-ever simultaneous nationwide trade enforcements against perpetrators of illicit cigarette trade, placing all regional enforcers on alert and in action while conducting operations on 378 stores in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The government is losing up to P100 billion in tax revenues from the illicit tobacco trade, which is intended to fund basic services including the Universal Health Care program and other national development goals.

The BIR chief thanked the cooperation and the assistance extended by the PNP and various local government units in their successful operations but at the same time lauded all the BIR regional officials in their concerted efforts.

The synchronized enforcement all over Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao was the first time to happen with Lumagui leading the actions together with the OIC-Deputy Commissioner for Operations Maridur Rosario, the respective revenue regional directors, regional investigations chiefs and revenue officers.

“Let me make this clear to you illegal traders. This is just the beginning of our simultaneous nationwide operations. We are serious in our crackdown against illicit cigarette trade. We will be strict on implementing the law from hereon,” Lumagui said.

Various Revenue regions in Luzon held a total of 195 in simultaneous trade enforcements in Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Palawan, Rizal, Cavite and in Manila. Authorities have launched 115 in Mindanao and 68 in Visayas.