The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Coast Guard in Negros Oriental said that operations against smuggling via the southernmost towns of the province have been intensified amid challenges brought by operational limitations.
The PNP and the Coast Guard urged the creation of a multi-agency group to prevent further smuggling activities believed to originate from Mindanao via Basay, the closest point in Negros Oriental.
“The coastline of Basay in Negros Oriental and its adjacent town, Hinoba-an in Negros Occidental, is such a long stretch that it is difficult to conduct continuous maritime patrols,” Lt. Marionne Abigal Enopia, Coast Guard Station Negros Oriental commander, said in Cebuano.
Enopia said illicit operations are usually done at night, making them more difficult to spot and intercept.
Capt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson for the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO), reaffirmed Enopia’s description of the extensive coastline located in the southernmost region of Negros Island.
“While we cannot intercept them at sea, the best that we can do is locate the contraband when it reaches dry land,” Polinar said in Cebuano.
Usually, by the time law enforcement officers arrive at the scene, the contraband items are abandoned, hence no arrests are made, he added in a Philippine News Agency report March 6.
On March 4, joint law enforcement units in Negros Oriental seized about P5.1 million worth of abandoned smuggled cigarettes in Sitio Cotcot, Barangay Bongalonan in Basay.
The contraband consisted of about 52 boxes of Fort Filter King (red/white) cigarettes, and about 50 assorted boxes of cigarettes bearing the brands Commissioner American Blend, Astro American Blend, and Manok King Filter.
The smuggled cigarettes bore unauthorized tax seals and lacked the required graphic health requirements in violation of Republic Act 10863, ors the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, Polinar said.
For now, they will strengthen intelligence activities against the smuggling of contraband to the province, he added.
The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas, meanwhile, said it has confiscated illegal cigarettes worth P170,390,032.34 since January this year, through sustained anti-smuggling operations across the region.
Records show that the operations resulted in the seizure of 138,516 packs and 3,231 reams of cigarettes, recovered through intensified intelligence monitoring and coordinated law enforcement actions conducted by police units targeting the transport, storage, and distribution of smuggled tobacco products in the region.
“Every operation we conduct against illegal cigarettes is part of our responsibility to protect the integrity of our laws and the welfare of our communities,” PRO7 director, P/BGen. Redrico Maranan, said in a statement. “This is not only about stopping smuggling—it is about preventing criminal groups from taking advantage of our communities and ensuring that lawful businesses are protected.”
He assured the public that PRO7 will continue to intensify intelligence monitoring and law enforcement operations, in coordination with partner-agencies and local government units, to sustain the momentum of the campaign against illegal cigarette trade in Central Visayas.
PRO7 also called on the public to support authorities by reporting any information related to the manufacture, storage, transport, or sale of illegal cigarettes as part of the collective effort to curb illicit trade in the region. ||
