In line with the commitment to the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to expand and strengthen efforts against the smuggling and illegal trading of tobacco and vape products, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), together with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Bureau of Customs (BOC), and Philippine National Police (PNP) continue to crack down on vape products lacking tax stamps, and keep its momentum in enforcing RA11900, or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, to protect minors from accessing vape products.

With its heightened enforcement operations, the DTI Office for the Special Mandate on Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products, their Devices, and Novel Tobacco Products (OSMV), in cooperation with the PNP, leads simultaneous nationwide operations to ensure an effective strategy for the implementation of the vape law.

The recent operations in Pasay and Manila yielded the confiscation of illicit vape products in violation of DTI DAO 22-16 prohibiting the packaging, labeling, presenting, or marketing of vape products with flavor descriptors that duly appeal to minors, and in violation of the internal revenue fiscal marking requirement.
Under BIR Revenue Memorandum Circular 105-2023, all vape importers and manufacturers are to affix internal revenue stamps on their products by 01 June 2024.

The DTI has also filed formal charges against additional vape manufacturers of four (4) brands: Relx, Flare, Team X, and Funky Monkey for violating the internal revenue fiscal marking requirement of RA11900. Trading of these brands, and their PS Licenses if issued, are effectively suspended pending resolution of the formal charges. The penalties for selling or trading these products are PHP2 million for the first offense, PHP4 million for the second offense, PHP5 million and cancellation of licenses for the third offense.

The Department encourages the public to report any illegal sale, manufacturing, and distribution of illicit vape products through podrs.gov.ph or consumercare@dti.gov.ph. ♦

Date of release: 11 September 2024

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