A factory producing counterfeit cigarettes in Bacolod City employed minors believed to be recruited from war-torn Marawi City, the Finance Department said Thursday.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III warned Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña about the possibility of increased smuggling of cigarettes into the country, following the closure of a factory allegedly making fake cigarettes.
“One of the items we discussed with commissioner Lapeña was, I am sure we will have an increase in smuggled cigarettes,” Dominguez told reporters in an interview.
Dominguez said what was disturbing was that 14 of the 41 rescued workers from a factory in Barangay Bata, Bacolod City were minors from Marawi.
He said the factory was also found to be counterfeiting the old brands of local cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp., which was recently acquired by Japan Tobacco for P46.8 billion.
Finance Undersecretary Antonette Tionko said the minors aged 15 to 17 years where turned over to the Social Welfare Department.
“They are being asked to illegally manufacture cigarettes,” Tionko said, adding the packs were mostly composed of Marvel and Jackpot brands of Mighty.
Tionko said that while the factory was counterfeiting the Mighty brands, it was also using the packing tape of Philip Morris.
The Bacolod City police station said the rescued workers were Maranaoans from Balo-i, Lanao del Norte who came to Bacolod because of the conflict in Marawi City.
About 300 boxes of different kinds of cigarettes, machines, packed tea bags and raw materials such as tobacco were seized during a raid at the warehouse in Barangay Bata and an extension in Barangay Taculing, also in Bacolod.