Luzon city officials name street after cigarette brand

MANILA – Health advocates are up in arms over a resolution passed by a city council in Batangas province in Southern Luzon, which named one of its streets after a popular cigarette brand.

The object of their ire is the resolution approved by the Tanauan City council in Batangas, which named one of its thoroughfares as “Philip Morris Street,”

Dr. Maricar Limpin, the executive director of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP) assailed the resolution, describing it as “unlawful and morally incorrect.”

Limpin also warned that if officials refuse to withdraw the resolution, they would file criminal and administrative charges against them as she pointed out:

“Putting up a street sign bearing the name of a cigarette brand is not only a violation of an existing national law. It is also utterly unmindful of and insensitive to the health of the constituents as it honors a product that has consistently contributed to 10 Filipino deaths a day.”

Limpin reminded officials that under the Tobacco Regulation Act, a street sign falls specifically under the category of “outdoor advertising” because it is a visual message or a sign which gives publicity by words or images about a particular product.

In this case, Limpin said the product is Philip Morris, a popular brand manufactured in the Philippines under license from an American-based tobacco company, which is patronized by many Filipinos despite warnings printed on each cigarette pack that smoking is dangerous to one’s health.

She urged Tanauan officials to study seriously the legal implications involved, especially the penalties that await them if they persist in implementing the resolution.

But city officials remained firm on their stand, saying the resolution is one way of expressing the appreciation of residents to the tobacco company’s support to the progress and development of Tanauan.

Councilor Edilberto Quilao, the principal sponsor, recalled the measure was based on a resolution unanimously approved by the “barangay” (village) council in the city where a tobacco factory manufacturing that particular brand is located.

Quilao also said that members of several organizations in the village met on November 20 and agreed to name one of their streets after the Philip Morris brand because of its valuable contribution to their community.

Jun Trinidad, a lawyer and the Tanauan City administrator, likewise explained why Mayor Sonia Torres-Aquino did not sign the resolution.

Trinidad pointed out the signature of Torres-Aquino is not needed because it is only a resolution which expresses the feelings and sentiment of the villagers.

It’s different, Trinidad said, if it is a proposed ordinance approved by the city council which requires the mayor’s signature before it can become effective with the full force of a local law.

But the argument of the officials did not sit well with Limpin who stressed that whatever support extended by the company to the city directly contradicts the firm’s primary objective of selling more cigarettes “and peddle death in the process.”

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