The Bureau of Internal Revenue destroyed over a billion pesos worth of cigarette-making machines and counterfeit cigarettes that were seized in various raids in Misamis Oriental and Leyte.
The BIR said in a report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III the goods seized from illicit manufacturing operations uncovered in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental and in the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc in Leyte were shipped to, and subsequently destroyed in, a waste disposal facility in Cagayan de Oro last month.
The destroyed goods included raw materials and packaging supplies used for cigarette manufacturing, BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa reported to Dominguez during a recent DoF executive committee meeting.
“The destruction activity, spearheaded by the BIR Operations Group and its Strike Team, was witnessed by representatives from the Commission on Audit, National Bureau of Investigation, local government units, local press and revenue regional offices,” Guballa said.
