Open Letter to the Philippine Delegation: Hold the Tobacco Industry Accountable

Dear Honorable Members of the Philippine Delegation,

The tobacco industry continues to endanger Filipino lives and the environment with impunity, and the Philippines can no longer afford to look away. 

On 17 November 2025, before the start of the 11th Conference of Parties (COP11) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the undersigned filed a formal complaint before the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regarding violations involving the illegal marketing and sale of nicotine pouches sold by Zyn Philippines, a brand owned by Philip Morris International (PMI) and Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC). 

These are products that, based on DTI’s own publicly available registry, do not even appear to be registered, highlighting the reckless manner in which these harmful products are being sold on the market.

The tobacco industry continues to disregard laws, act with impunity, exploit loopholes, and test the limits of our regulatory systems  to extract profit at the expense of our people, especially our children and the youth.

The cost of this corporate behavior is staggering. More than 100,000 Filipinos die each year due to tobacco- and nicotine-related diseases. That is the equivalent of wiping out an entire city every single year. And the burden does not end with human life. This industry leaves behind a long trail of environmental destruction, from toxic agricultural inputs to plastic pollution and hazardous wastes. These health, environmental, and climate harms are heavily and overwhelmingly borne by the public. Meanwhile, the companies that cause them–the tobacco industry–profit enormously while skillfully avoiding accountability.

The complaint we filed last Monday is a clear signal that the tobacco industry must be held to account for its actions.  

The Philippines must no longer take a cautious and  accommodating posture toward the tobacco industry. Our stance must reflect the magnitude of the harm they inflict on Filipinos and on the planet. Our policies and penalties must be stronger and harder to evade. Our enforcement must be sharper. Our leadership must show that public health, environmental protection must be non-negotiable. 

The Philippine Delegation must take a firm, unwavering stance and support the adoption of measures that impose real corporate accountability for the tobacco industry at COP11. We cannot continue absorbing the damage they create. 

Sincerely,