Port Area, City of Manila
April 7, 2025
“I am happy to be able to report to the country that the levels at which we have been able to find these smuggled goods and to eventually destroy them has increased steadily over the last year and a half,” announced President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the inspection and condemnation of seized smuggled electronic vapes at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) grounds in South Harbor, Port Area, City of Manila.
In his remarks, the President highlighted the significant increase in the seizure of smuggled goods over the past year, reflecting the government’s intensified crackdown. He noted that in 2023, the value of seized smuggled vapes amounted to approximately PhP3.5 billion, which doubled in the following year.
“From January to March, we are well on our way also to achieving even more seizures of these illegal vapes,” he added, emphasizing the critical reasons for the crackdown, including both legal and health-related concerns.
“They have smuggled this in without any permits, any kind of documentation, at ipinagbibili na nga dito sa Pilipinas. And the very serious problem that accompanies that na walang documentation, na walang inspeksyon, dahil eh ‘yung iba rito na ininspeksyon natin ay nahanapan – may lason na nakapasok doon sa liquid na ginagamit na pang-vape. Kaya’t lalong-lalo na nakakabahala dahil kung titingnan natin ‘yung packaging – ‘yung packaging talagang para sa bata. Kaya ang target market nila bata,” said President Marcos Jr.
Concluding his remarks, the Chief Executive commended the joint efforts of BOC officials and their counterparts in the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for their role in addressing the issue.
“So, patuloy nating gagawin ito and I just wanted to highlight the efforts and the dangers that – the efforts that we are doing and the dangers that accompany these smuggled vapes far and beyond the loss and revenue to the government. More important to us are the health issues that these smuggled vapes are raised,” President Marcos Jr. said in closing.
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