MANILA, Nov. 18 -- Abra lone district Rep. JB Bernos has called on the government to conduct a stronger crackdown on the sale of counterfeit or smuggled cigarettes to protect the local tobacco industry.

"Ang mga peke at smuggled na sigarilyo ay malaking banta sa ating mga tobacco farmers, hindi lamang dito sa Abra, kundi sa buong bansa (Fake and smuggled cigarettes are a big threat to our tobacco farmers, not just in Abra, but in the whole country)," Bernos said in a statement on Tuesday.

A study by Stratbase Research and Intelligence found that illicit cigarettes continue to proliferate, reaching 9.52 billion sticks in 2022. It is projected to increase to 11.13 billion sticks by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs r...