Philippines Seeks China's Help in Countering Fake Cigarettes

(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines will seek China’s help in halting the proliferation of counterfeit cigarettes, its Department of Finance said.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez ordered the Bureaus of Internal Revenue and of Customs to work with their counterparts in China to stop illegal cigarette-making machines from making their way into the Philippines, according to the department’s statement.

A raid of several warehouses this year yielded unlicensed machines from China along with counterfeit cigarettes and fake stamps, the Finance Department said. LT Group Inc., whose tobacco business accounts for about half of its profit, said last month that fake and smuggled cigarettes affect sales.

To contact the reporter on this story: Clarissa Batino in Manila at cbatino@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stanley James at sjames8@bloomberg.net, John McCluskey

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