In a statement on Friday, July 28, Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio, said the bureau, in collaboration with the tobacco industry stakeholders, would develop strategies to further improve their fight against illicit cigarette trade.
Recently, Rubio, along with Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Director Verne Enciso and Intellectual Property Rights Division Chief Paul Oliver Pacunayen, held discussions with executives from Philip Morris International and Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. . Enciso reiterated the severity of these threats, emphasizing the need to recognize them as well-coordinated plans aimed at bypassing laws, and stressed the implementation of robust mechanisms to fortify border security and suppress the illicit tobacco trade.