The estimated value of illegal cigarettes and vape products confiscated by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in 2026 so far has already quadrupled the value of those seized last year, according to data shared by the agency’s Enforcement and Security Services (ESS).
Customs personnel seized nearly P11.680 billion worth of cigarettes and vape products from January to July 2026, according to statistics shared by ESS acting director Noel Estanislao during a House of Representatives ways and means committee hearing on Tuesday.
The P11.680-billion figure so far in 2026 was 464.26 percent higher than the nearly P2.516 billion worth of cigarettes and vape products confiscated for the entirety of 2025.
Estanislao’s report also showed that the following estimated values of confiscated illegal cigarette and tobacco products were seized in these areas:
Port of Surigao – P2,192,840,000
Manila International Container Port – P2,104,882,000
Port of Zamboanga – P2,065,182,767.8
Port of Cebu – P1,831,380,000
Port of Limay – P465,488,750
Port of Davao – P411,174,779.64
Port of Manila – P327,916,279.06
Port of Clark – P275,000,000
Port of Batangas – P234,734,500
Port of Cagayan de Oro – P79,294,870
Port of San Fernando – P24,953,960
Ninoy Aquino International Airport – P12,870,000
Port of Subic – P235,317.5
Meanwhile, the following estimated values of apprehended illegal vape and electronic cigarette products were taken into BOC custody:
Manila International Container Port – P1,649,261,690
Port of Batangas – P4,431,287.7
Port of Cebu – P23,218.4
Port of Clark – P6,000
‘Rest assured, the products we confiscate never reach the market. We destroy the actual products,’ Estanislao explained.
The House ways and means committee held the hearing to discuss a Department of Finance proposal to unify all excise taxes on cigarette products and increase them to P72.93, with an annual indexation of 5 percent