Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda said he would introduce a bill to stop them.
Salceda said an "outright ban" on e-commerce platforms is necessary to curb the spread of illegal cigarettes because they make these items more accessible to the public and, worse, to minors.
"We will stop Lazada and Shopee once and for all from selling cigarettes to minors because under registration regulations the platforms must be withholding agents and they have failed to do so," Salceda told reporters in an interview on Tuesday.
Reports say that if the current trend of rampant illegal trade continues in the country, the government will lose at least P60 billion in revenue, while the health costs from smoking-related diseases will be as high as P188 billion.
Salceda said they are already drafting a bill that would implement such strict measures.
"We have been monitoring them, I am challenging Lazada and Shopee to come out," he said.
Meanwhile, Salceda said he would also have the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) investigate the sale of cigarettes through Facebook Marketplace.
He explained that his colleagues were able to easily obtain counterfeit cigarettes through various online channels, including e-commerce platforms and Facebook.
