By Liza Agoot

BIG HAUL. The Baguio Anti-Smoking Task Force confiscates 33 boxes and 62 packs of cigarettes worth PHP3 million from an unlicensed distributor in Barangay Brookspoint, Baguio City on Wednesday (Sept. 10, 2025). The seizure stemmed from a tip by deputized enforcers of the city’s smoke-free ordinance, as part of ongoing efforts to curb smoking and prevent related health risks. (PNA photo courtesy of Smoke-Free Task Force)

BAGUIO CITY – The city government’s anti-smoking task force seized around PHP3 million worth of cigarettes from a seller found operating without a permit, the Public Information Office reported on Wednesday.

According to City Information Officer Aileen Refuerzo, members of the deputized anti-smoking task force in Barangay Brookside discovered the illegal distribution and alerted the Smoke-Free Task Force, which immediately implemented the city’s anti-smoking ordinance on Sept. 5.

The operation resulted in the confiscation of 33 boxes and 62 packs of cigarettes, now in the custody of the task force.

“The cigarette products were sealed in boxes and signed by BCPO (Baguio City Police Office) Station 6, Barangay Brookspoint kagawads (village watchmen), the Sanitation Division of the City Health Services Office, the Task Force Secretariat, and a representative of the tobacco company,” the task force said in a press release.

Verification revealed that the distributor lacked authorization from the city government’s permits and licensing division.

The city government earlier deputized volunteers, including barangay officials, to help enforce the Smoke-Free Baguio ordinance.

Dr. Donnabel Tubera-Panes, tobacco control coordinator and head of the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, said the enforcement of the ordinance will continue.

She stressed the city aims to make smoking increasingly difficult, pushing individuals to quit and reducing smoking-related diseases. (PNA)