The Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) has warned the public against smoking “Tuklaw” or “Thuoc Lao,” which has been found to contain prohibited drugs, as well as other illicit tobacco products that pose serious health and safety risks.
“These products are not compliant with government regulations or product quality standards, exposing adult consumers to dangerous substances,” said PTI president Jericho Nograles.
The illicit cigarettes are being sold for only P40 to P80 per pack because they are smuggled without paying excise tax and VAT. In contrast, legal tobacco products are sold above the updated Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) floor price of P85.57 per pack.
According to Nograles, this illicit trade drains over P40 billion from annual excise tax collections, while also undermining public health objectives by making cigarettes more accessible to minors.
“The wide availability of cheap, illicit tobacco is not only depriving the government of much-needed revenue, it is also undermining public health by making cigarettes more accessible to the youth,” Nograles said.
Nograles also expressed appreciation to the government for its intensified anti-illicit trade enforcement efforts.
“We thank our enforcement agencies for their aggressive actions against illicit trade, and we urge them to remain relentless in the pursuit of illicit cigarette and vape traders. Protecting the public from harmful, illegal products requires swift and coordinated action,” he said.
Reports of suspicious tobacco products may be filed with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, Philippine National Police, or the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
