Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 21) – Health authorities said they support the plan of the Department of Finance to go after illegal online sellers of cigarettes and alcoholic drinks.
DOF said the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration backed the call of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to crack down on unauthorized sellers of these so-called “sin” products online, saying that existing rules should also cover the online realm.
The regulators also asked for the ban on unregistered sales to cover e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.
“It cannot be overstated that in this time of the pandemic, health should be of utmost priority. Products that increase the risk of contracting and developing a more severe form of COVID-19 and its comorbidities should be avoided, if not totally eliminated,” DOH and FDA said in a joint statement submitted to the Finance Department, as they called on Filipinos to drop these vices.
People who have medical conditions are said to be more vulnerable to the coronavirus, which could cause severe illness or even death.
Dominguez earlier said that his agency will work to ban illegal distributors of liquor and cigarettes in online marketplaces, as he cited that these platforms have minimal safeguards against selling to minors.
Sin taxes for such products have increased following various tax reform measures passed by Congress, which are meant to discourage its consumption and raise additional funds for the implementation of the Universal Healthcare law.
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