MANILA, Philippines – NAGPAHAYAG ng alarma si Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. dahil maaaring suportado ng organized crime groups ang illicit trade syndicates.
Dahil dito, maaaring malagay sa matinding panganib ang local at international communities.
“In many instances, money generated from illicit trade is used to fund organized crime resulting in heightened security risks both locally and internationally,” ayon kay Lumagui.
Isiniwalat ni Lumagui ang “alarming situation” na ito sa isang pagtitipon na kinabibilangan ng mahigit sa 120 local at foreign policy makers, law enforcement officials at business representatives na ang pangunahing layunin ay talakayin ang mga hakbang kung paano tutugunan ang global illicit trade problem.
Sinabi nito na ang problema sa smuggled goods ay na-extend sa digital spaces, nangako si Lumagui na paiigtingin ang pagpapatupad ng batas at regulasyon laban sa illicit trade ng unregistered at non-compliant vapes at heated tobacco products habang patuloy na ibinebenta ang mga ito sa online shopping platforms gaya ng Lazada, Shopee at Facebook Marketplace.
Sa nasabing event na tinawag na Global Anti-Illicit Trade Summit na idinaos sa Taguig City, malawak na pinag-usapan ng mga kalahok ang isyu ng illicit trade sa global economy at tinukoy ang illegal cigarette trade bilang isa sa malaking problema at “most common item in cross-border,” subalit ang naging kalatas ni Lumagui ang nagbigay sa kanila ng “worse concerns to consider.”
Ayon kapwa sa local at international law enforcement agencies, ang mga organized crime network ay billion-dollar businesses na nag-operate sa maraming crime areas.
Kasama sa illegal activities ang human trafficking, money laundering, drugs, armed robbery, fraud at extortion at cybercrime.
Ang problema sa illicit cigarette trade ang dahilan ng
20% na pagkukulang sa koleksyon ng BIR sa target nito na excise tax collection.
Bagama’t wala namang ibinigay na pigura si Lumagui, ang
excise tax collection target ng BIR para sa unang apat na buwan ng taon ay P112.37 billion.
“A large part of the shortfall is attributable to tobacco,” ang pahayag ni Lumagui sa mga mamamahayag.
Winika pa ni Lumagui na maraming unregistered businesses—na maaaring ikunsidera bilang “underground economy”—ay sangkot sa “sale and trade of illicit goods, and being unregistered can avoid paying taxes.”
Tinuran pa ng komisyonado na habang lumaki na ang pangangailangan ng mga consumer at buying practices sa paglipas ng mga taon, “so too has illicit trade evolved apace, so much so that even the digital marketplace is not safe from illegal traders.”
Sinabi nito na dapat na bigyang-diin ang strict enforcement ng naaangkop sa “laws and regulations” laban sa illicit trade, at pagsisikap na dapat gawin para i-develop at ipasa upang maging ganap na batas ang bagong anti-illicit trade legislation.
Kinumpirma naman ni Lumagui na ang illicit trade ay nakaapekto sa ekonomiya sa lahat ng rehiyon sa buong mundo noong panahon ng pandemiya.
“The damage that illicit trade can wreak on an economy is dramatic, and far-ranging. Its most immediate impact is the loss of tax revenues that are urgently needed to fund development efforts. But illicit trade also releases into the market goods and items that do not meet quality standards, placing people in the unfortunate situation where their hard-earned funds are given in exchange for substandard goods,” ayon kay Lumagui.
Para kontrahin ang problema sa illicit trade at isyu ng organized crime groups, ang Economist Impact, ang network na nag-sponsor ng summit, iprinisenta ang kanilang ginawang pag-aaral na may pamagat na “Illicit Trade: Scale, Scope and Flows,” sinunod ang sentimyento ng 1,6000 indibiduwal mula sa 16 bansa ukol sa illicit trade at counterfeit production.
Nakasaad sa pag-aaral na ang” illicit trade is a global struggle that affects communities and businesses and will take large-scale, innovative action to ensure new forms of illegal activity are reduced significantly.”
Tinukoy nito ang pangangailangan na simulan ang reporma at pagsusuri sa umiiral na hakbang na in-adopt ng buong mundo para kontrahin ang malaganap na illicit trade dahil sa digital transactions.
“With the fast-paced technology unfolding, the study further noted, current activities taken must be re-evaluated and more must be done to get to the root causes. “Consumer incentives and education, re-evaluation of policies and collaboration among stakeholders are essential to foster reforms,” diing pahayag nito.
Sa Pilipinas, sinabi ni Lumagui, ipinatutupad ng gobyerno ang four-point approach para tugunan ang illicit trade, lalo na kung may kinalaman sa tobacco products gaya ng:
“Need for improved border control, Enhancement of intelligence networks and inter-agency coordination between the country’s law enforcement agencies while agencies such as BIR, Bureau of Customs and the LGUs are also key players in the campaign to identify and prosecute illegal traders, Development of comprehensive legal framework on the sale and trade of products not only in ”brick-and-mortar” stores but also those goods that are traded on e-commerce platforms and so-called “alternative markets” at “Greater emphasis should be paid to the strict enforcement of applicable laws and regulations against illicit trade and efforts should be made to develop and pass into laws new anti-illicit trade legislations.”
Gayunman, inamin ni Lumagui na ang irregular 36,000 kilometer coastline ng bansa ay isang matindi at malaking hamon sa pagisikap ng pamahalaan para pigilan ang illicit cigarette trade, tinukoy ang katotohanan na ang bansa ay pang-limang “longest coastline” sa buong mundo dahilan kung bakit ang mga awtoridad ay nahihirapang imonitor ng mahusay ang kapuluan.
Nangako naman si Lumagui na magpapatupad ng mga kahbang para tugunan ang illegal trade sa bansa gaya ng “unceasing intensified trade enforcement activities, nationwide information and public awareness campaign and working to upgrade the agency’s existing track-and-race systems, in order to significantly monitor and regulate the sale of excisable products, particularly cigarettes.”
Committed naman si Lumagui na resolbahin para makamit o malagpasan ang target, “We are doing our best and I am optimistic in the coming months, we will get that. We’re doing everything we can. We will continue doing raids and filing of cases involving illicit traders,” anito. Kris Jose
