DTI urged to act amid global tobacco control talks
17 November 2025
By HealthJustice
A coalition of leading public health, child rights, and tobacco control advocacy groups has filed a formal complaint today before the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) against ZYN Philippines, a nicotine-pouch brand owned by Philip Morris International (PMI) and Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC), for widespread and repeated violations of Republic Act No. 11900, the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act.
The complaint, transmitted to the Office of DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina Aldeguer-Roque through the Office for the Special Mandate on Vaporized Nicotine and Novel Tobacco Products (OSMV), documents ZYN’s extensive use of influencers, celebrities, lifestyle media, mall installations, and event sponsorships. All are illegal and explicitly prohibited under the vape regulation law.
Republic Act No. 11900 bans the use of celebrities or public figures in promoting vapes and electronic smoking devices, as well as the portrayal of vaping as part of a healthy lifestyle despite the harms of these products. The law also bans promos, merchandise giveaways, and event sponsorships – whether or not they appear explicitly aimed at young people and children, because these products are inherently addictive and harmful.
According to the complainants, the violations are “unmistakable” and reflect a persistent pattern of disregard of the law by the tobacco industry.
“What makes the violations more troubling is that they are not isolated cases. The rise of ZYN products in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia reflects the tobacco industry’s aggressive and illicit strategies to expand its market, often targeting young people,“ said Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance. “We urge the DTI to take immediate action. Allowing ZYN and its affiliated companies to operate unchecked renders our laws toothless and deepens the Philippines’ shameful reputation as the strongest tobacco lobby in Asia.”
“The growing trend of vape users in our country is already alarming. Just last year, we recorded the Philippines’ first-ever vape-related death tragically involving a 22-year-old, a stark reminder of the tobacco industry’s persistent exploitation of the youth. We do not need another nicotine product in the market to contribute to more preventable illness and fatalities,” said Rizza Duro, National Coordinator of the Philippine Smoke-Free Movement.
“It is outrageous how the tobacco industry has been maliciously ‘creative’ in luring the younger generation into nicotine addiction,” said Atty. Fatima Laperal, Executive Director of Health Justice. “Repackaging nicotine into trendy products that contribute to youth nicotine addiction and engaging with celebrities for promotion are blatant violations of the law.”
Earlier this year, DTI had already issued a Preventive Measure Order against Philip Morris for similar illegal promotions through the “Steve Aoki Live” event in Taguig. The recurrence of nearly identical marketing tactics—this time under the ZYN brand—signals “a clear pattern of recidivism and corporate defiance of DTI regulations,” according to the complainants. The groups warn that this disregard for the law not only harms the public but also undermines the authority of government regulators.
“When the government allows the tobacco industry to get away with these abuses, it undermines its own authority and damages public trust,” said Atty. Sophia San Luis, Executive Director of ImagineLaw. “We urge the DTI to enforce the law with urgency and prove that industry influence cannot override the public good.”
Upholding global health treaty commitments
The filing comes as the Philippines participates in the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in Geneva, Switzerland. Advocates warn that allowing blatant domestic violations undermines the Philippines’ credibility in global health diplomacy and violates its obligations as a State party to the global health treaty.
“Turning a blind eye to the violations of Philip Morris through their ZYN brand undermines the Philippines’ participation in COP11. We strongly urge the DTI and the rest of the Philippine government to mark this complaint, along with other cases of rampant industry violations, as a moment to uphold our global commitments in protecting public health and children’s rights,” said Au Quilala, Executive Director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development and Convenor of the largest child rights alliance in the Philippines, the Child Rights Network. “We are witnessing a youth vaping epidemic, backed by solid data. The government must hold the industry accountable and protect children from an industry that seeks to turn them into replacement smokers,” she added.
“These violations going unnoticed by our government regulators reveal how far we lag behind with our WHO FCTC commitments. This calls for the urgent need to strengthen our national tobacco control policies to align with this global treaty. This can start by taking action to this complaint and all other unchecked violations. In doing so, the Philippine government can engage in COP11 with confidence, knowing that tangible progress is being made in our country,” Bobby Del Rosario, President of Action on Smoking & Health Philippines added.
The groups have called on the DTI to act swiftly by investigating ZYN and its affiliates and imposing the full range of penalties available under the vape regulation law, order the immediate takedown of unlawful content, and issue public advisories to influencers and media outlets on vape law violations.
“If government regulators continue to allow this and other industry violations to go unchecked, the tobacco industry will keep bending the law to drive their corporate agenda at the expense of public health,” said Judy Delos Reyes of Parents Against Vape and Youth Against Vape. “We want to see our own government stand up for us against companies that place their greed above our health. The DTI must set an example to our youth, and prove that government institutions truly uphold their mandate to serve the public good,” he further added.
The complaint was filed by the Child Rights Network, the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development, Action on Smoking & Health Philippines, ImagineLaw, Parents Against Vape, Youth Against Vape, HealthJustice, and the Philippine Smoke-Free Movement, the same complainants of the previous Steve Aoki and Philip Morris collaboration and promotion case.
Contact person/s:
Mariz Amante Wee
Communications Officer, HealthJustice
+63998-885-1080 / +974-669-86655
mariz@healthjustice.ph
Anelle Cortez
Project Coordinator, HealthJustice
+639178139696
anelle@healthjustice.ph