CAGAYAN DE ORO — This was not just destruction.
It was a warning shot.
In a bold, no-nonsense crackdown on smuggling, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reduced ₱188,038,350 worth of illegal cigarettes and vape products to scrap — sending a fiery message to smugglers: Your days are numbered.
At the center of this hard-hitting operation stands Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, who has made one thing crystal clear under his leadership — there will be no haven for illicit trade.
And in Northern Mindanao, that marching order is being executed with force.
On February 16, 2026, the Port of Cagayan de Oro publicly condemned and destroyed a staggering 4,360 master cases and 10 reams of smuggled cigarettes, along with vape products, through hydrolysis and physical destruction at the Mindanao Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
This wasn’t symbolic.
It was surgical.
The mastermind on the ground?
District Collector Atty. Manuel O. Zurbito Jr.

Under Zurbito’s watch, the Port of Cagayan de Oro has emerged as one of the most aggressive anti-smuggling frontliners in the country. Intelligence-driven operations swept across Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon, and Camiguin — leaving smugglers scrambling and their contraband seized.

Let’s be blunt: ₱188 million doesn’t disappear quietly.

That’s money that should have funded classrooms, hospitals, roads, and public services. Instead, it was nearly stolen by smugglers trying to outsmart the system.

They failed.

And they failed because leadership at the top — Commissioner Nepomuceno — has refused to blink. His directive is simple and uncompromising: enforce the law, protect public health, and defend government revenue at all costs.

“The destruction of these smuggled cigarettes sends a clear message that the Bureau of Customs will not tolerate unlawful importation and distribution,” Nepomuceno declared.

That message wasn’t just spoken. It was pulverized into dust.

But on the ground, it takes execution — and that’s where Collector Zurbito’s performance stands out.

Since assuming leadership, Zurbito has demonstrated remarkable operational discipline and relentless enforcement focus. The scale of the seizure — and its transparent public destruction witnessed by law enforcement, LGUs, and stakeholders — shows a district collector not merely occupying a seat, but commanding it.

No recycling.
No backdoor deals.
No second chances for contraband.

Everything destroyed. Permanently.

Cigarette smuggling is not a victimless crime. It robs the government of billions in excise taxes, cripples legitimate businesses, and floods communities with unregulated products that endanger public health.

Under Nepomuceno’s national directive and Zurbito’s local execution, the Bureau is making it clear: illicit traders will not profit in Philippine ports.

The Port of Cagayan de Oro has drawn the line.

And this time, it’s written in ashes.

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