Press Release — Action for Economic Reforms — August 14, 2012
Northwestern University law professor Richard Daynard is in the country to expose the bad practices of Phillip Morris International (PMI). Professor Daynard, who arrived in Manila last August 12 (Sunday), will be the keynote speaker in lectures and press conference aimed to publicize the international tobacco company’s practices in different countries.
Professor Daynard, known for winning a $17.8 million lawsuit filed against PMI, is also renowned as “the forefront of international movement to establish legal responsibility of the tobacco industry for tobacco-induced health disease and disability”.
His upcoming lecture in Manila—which will be an addition to his several lectures conducted in 50 countries—is expected to tackle legal issues on tobacco control and public health. He has also chaired 25 national and international conferences on these subjects.
The law professor is expected to discuss the recent PMI cases and discovered practices around the world.
Evidence of unethical or questionable practices by Philipp Morris has been documented. Among these issues is the company’s $3.4 million tax-evasion case in Pakistan.
PMI’s Indonesian subsidiary, Sampoerna, had also been criticized for its indecent advertisement; a company billboard promoting the brand stating that “Dying is better than leaving a friend. Sampoerna is a cool friend”.
In Brazil, Philip Morris has used promotional video games in clubs and bars frequented by young people.
The human rights issues of the company, such as use of child labor to supply tobacco leaves to PMI in Kazakhstan, will also be discussed.
PMI’s subsidiary company in the Philippines, Phillip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC) will also be one of the subjects in Professor Daynard’s lecture. Currently, PMFTC is the leading cigarette company in the country, holding 97% of the market share of the cigarette industry.
Professor Daynard will also hold a lecture at the College of Law, UP Diliman on August 15 (Wednesday), at 10:00-12:00 am. He will tackle public health approaches to tobacco regulation.