The House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means will summon Bureau of Customs officials led by Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno when the panel begins its investigation into the resurgence of large-scale tobacco smuggling and its impact on public health and national revenues.
Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo, the panel’s chair, made the statement on Thursday after he filed House Resolution 636 last week.
The bill seeks a congressional probe into the Philippine National Police’s seizure on New Year’s Eve in Batangas and Malabon of a total of 32 trucks allegedly carrying smuggled cigarettes worth approximately ₱2.6 billion.
Nepomuceno has already ordered an investigation into the resurgence of smuggling amid reports of the involvement of some officials of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS).
The bureau chief has already relieved the head of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) at the Port of Manila (POM), Intelligence Officer III Paul Oliver Pacunayen.
Pacunayen and CIIS Director Thomas Narcise were among the officials mentioned in a letter sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by customs officials, employees and stakeholders last December 11.
The letter also mentioned a customs broker, who was earlier identified in a Senate report as a major agricultural smuggler operating in the Port of Subic, Manila International Container Port, Port of Manila, Port of Batangas, and Port of Cebu.
“The Port of Manila, as the country’s primary international gateway, has reportedly become a focal point for the entry of regulated, prohibited, or undeclared goods, including agricultural products, counterfeit items, illicit cigarettes, motor vehicles, vape products, and other regulated commodities,” it said.
Quimbo said the PNP Highway Patrol Group’s apprehension of the smuggled cigarettes “confirms that organized cigarette smuggling remains a serious national problem that requires urgent action.”
The intercepted items correspond to P875.16 million in tax revenues that the government would otherwise have collected based on the 2026 tax rate, the lawmaker said.
He noted that the government has lost an estimated ₱25.5 billion in excise taxes due to illicit tobacco trade in 2023 alone, based on a report of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Congress will review current enforcement systems, coordination among agencies, and existing penalties to determine if these remain enough to deter large-scale illicit tobacco trade, the Marikina solon said.
Quimbo said the following officials will also be invited to the hearing:
Deputy Commissioners Romeo Allan Rosales (Intelligence Group); Nolasco Bathan (Enforcement); Agaton Teodoro O. Uvero (Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group);
Revsee Escobedo (Management Information Systems and Technology Group); Assistant Commissioner Atty. Vincent Philip Maronilla (Post Clearance Audit Group); Port of Manila District Collector Alexander Gerard Alviar; Port of Batangas District Collector Carmelita Talusan; and Manila International Container Port District Collector Rizalino Jose Torralba.
