THE number of registered firms engaged in the sale of cigarette, vape and other tobacco products more than doubled to 103 from 45, latest Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) data showed.
BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. issued Memorandum Circular (MC) 57-2023 that listed the registered manufacturers, importers and exporters of various tobacco products as of May 15.
An additional 58 firms were added to the list compared to the previous list published by the bureau in June 2022, according to the annexes of the latest memorandum circular.
“This Circular is hereby issued to intensify the campaign of the Bureau of Internal Revenue against illicit tobacco products,” Lumagui said in the MC dated May 16 and was posted on the BIR’s website on May 19.
Lumagui reminded the registered firms that their products “must comply” with the requirement on graphic health warning and the affixing of BIR Tax Stamps, except for those selling vapor products and novel tobacco products.
Based on the BIR’s latest list, there are currently seven manufacturers of locally produced cigarettes for domestic sale, up from the five listed in the BIR’s June 2022 memorandum circular.
The seven manufacturers are Associated Anglo-American Tobacco Corp., JT International (Philippines), MPE Tobacco Trading, PMFTC Inc., Rolyo Cigarette Inc., Talengtan Brothers & Sons Inc. and Yosimite Oriental Supersystem Inc.
The seven companies combined for a total of 113 cigarette brands JT International (Philippines) having the most brands registered at 41 followed by PMFTC Inc. with 33 brands.
Rolyo Cigarette Inc. and Yosimite Oriental Supersystem Inc., which were the two new registered firms this year, did not have any cigarette brands registered, the BIR’s list showed.
The BIR list showed that the number of local cigarette manufacturers for export remained unchanged at just two firms: PMFTC Inc. and Talengtan Brothers & Sons Inc.
However, the number of cigarette brands registered for export by PMFTC Inc. increased to 45 from 33 last year while Talengtan Brothers & Sons Inc.’s number of registered brands was unchanged at 20.
The latest BIR list also showed that the number of PEZA-registered cigarette manufacturers quadrupled to 13 firms from just three last year.
The 13 firms are Baisisen Global Corp., Fourthstripe Manufacturing Corp., Gold Tree Tobacco Manufacturing Corp., Golden Leaf Manufacturing International Inc., Hongcim Int’l Corp., JT International Asia Manufacturing Corp., Magnum Tobacco Manufacturing Corp., Noble Leaf Manufacturing Inc., One Subic Premier Manufacturing Corp., Pan Subic Brothers Manufacturing Corp., Prudence Development & Management Corp., Thaitian Cigarette and Tobacco Corp., and TM8 Enterprises Inc.
Of the 13 firms, the following eight do not have registered brands yet: Fourthstripe Manufacturing Corp., Golden Leaf Manufacturing International Inc., Hongcim Int’l Corp., Noble Leaf Manufacturing Inc., One Subic Premier Manufacturing Corp., Pan Subic Brothers Manufacturing Corp., Prudence Development & Management Corp. and Thaitian Cigarette and Tobacco Corp.
The number of registered cigarette importers grew by two to 14 from 12 last year.
Meanwhile, the number of registered manufacturers of vapor products rose by 14 firms to 27 companies while the number of importers of vapor products expanded by 23 companies to 26 firms.
The total number of importers of heated tobacco products rose to 11 from 7 while the BIR recorded three new importers of novel tobacco products.