THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has no jurisdiction over the fake cigarettes that have reportedly entered Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City.
Reginald Hudierez of the Enforcement and Confiscation Division of DTI-Negros Occidental said in a telephone interview that circulation of fake or counterfeit products considered criminal offense falls under the jurisdiction of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Cigarettes are not basic necessity and prime commodity, which are covered by the DTI.
The DTI made the clarification amid reports that smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes have penetrated Bacolod and cigarettes with fake tax stamps are being sold openly in several stores.
A city resident was recently apprehended the by PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Bacolod unit for selling counterfeit Marlboro, Jackpot, Camel and Marvel brands.
Several boxes of alleged fake cigarettes were also seized from the suspect’s house.
There are also reports that even grocery and sari-sari stores are selling fake cigarettes. The former distribute the fake cigarettes outside the city while smaller stores mix their fake cigarettes with genuine ones.
Tourists in Bacolod have also complained of fake cigarettes in some stores.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has warned traders, storeowners, and even the public from buying and selling cigarettes bearing counterfeit tax stamps since this robs government of much-needed taxes and exposes consumers to inferior products.
Earlier this year, BIR issued Revenue Memorandum Circular 51-2016 launching the free downloadable Stamp Tax Verifier App. Through the use of a smart phone, the Stamp Tax Verifier App will scan if the serial code on the cigarette stamp is “valid or invalid,” which should mean that the product is either genuine or smuggled-counterfeit.
The same circular also enjoined the public to help the government in tracking down fake or smuggled cigarettes.