'Probe fairly cigarette tax stamp row'

A lawmaker has commended the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for initiating an industry-wide probe of the massive proliferation of fake tax strip stamps on cigarette packs.

“It is the government’s duty to ensure impartiality in investigating all players in the [cigarette] industry. You cannot single out a local manufacturer just because some paid hacks are throwing baseless accusations. The proper way to do it is to investigate everybody,” Deputy Speaker Mylene Garcia-Albano of Davao City (2nd District) of the PDP-Laban said on Monday.