Mighty welcomes BIR’s expanded fake stamps probe

Mighty Corporation, the country’s oldest and Filipinoowned cigarette manufacturer, described yesterday as fair and laudable the new Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) order to include in its fake stamps investigation market leader Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC) and other players.

Retired Regional Trial Court Judge Oscar P. Barrientos, Mighty vice president and spokesman, reacted to BIR’s latest move when contacted for comment.

In praising the latest BIR move, Barrientos said Mighty, known for eating away a large share of its rivals’ market, has no problems with neither the BIR nor the Bureau of Customs in welcoming their probe because its operation has always been transparent and in accordance with laws.

An object of persistent demolition by its rivals, Mighty dismissed allegations that it was using fake strip stamps, claiming that the BIR is closely monitoring production and withdrawal at its only factory in Bulacan, having been the first one to install CCTV cameras to monitor its operations in compliance with BIR regulations.

Mighty’s competitors, including the huge cigarette manufacturing plants of PMFTC in Marikina and Batangas, have yet to install the same powerful electronic gadgets Mighty used at its tightly guarded factory.

“It is unfair to single out Mighty. We should also investigate others to get to the bottom of the problem and determine where the counterfeits are coming,” BIR Deputy Commissioner for Legal Service Jesus Clint Aranas said earlier.

He said that BIR is expanding its probe into the widespread use of fake tax stamps on cigarette packs to cover all manufacturers and importers.

Aranas said the government is losing billions of pesos in revenues yearly through this tax avoidance scheme as evidenced by seizure of large cache of various brands affixed with fake strip stamps since the requirement was reintroduced three years ago.