Eraserheads Reunion Concert: US Anti-Tobacco Group Slams Philip Morris’s ‘Devious’ Ploy

US Anti-Tobacco Group Hails Philip Morris’s Withdrawal from Eraserheads Concert

Strong Tobacco Lobby Bedevils New Law Vs Smoking

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PUBLISHED ON August 13, 2008 AT 8:55 AM

Company Urged to End Role in Eraserheads Concert as It Did with Alicia Keys Concert in Indonesia

Washington, D.C. - For the second time in recent weeks, international tobacco control advocates are calling on Philip Morris International to withdraw its sponsorship and promotion of a major concert, this time in the Philippines where the company’s activities appear to violate national law.

Last month, Philip Morris International withdrew its sponsorship of singer Alicia Keys’ concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, after the company was criticized for engaging in cigarette marketing that appealed to children and after Ms. Keys called for the sponsorship to be withdrawn.

Now health advocates are urging Philip Morris International to end its involvement in an August 30 reunion concert by the popular Filipino band Eraserheads, which has been called the “Beatles of the Philippines.” Those seeking tickets to the concert are being directed to www.marlboro.ph, a web site run by Philip Morris International’s Philippine subsidiary. To receive tickets and information, visitors to the web site must provide personal contact information that would allow Philip Morris International to send them promotional materials for cigarettes.

The reunion concert also has generated enormous Internet buzz that often mentions the Marlboro web site and brand name, resulting in positive publicity for Philip Morris International and its best-selling Marlboro cigarette brand.

Last week, the Philippines Department of Health warned Philip Morris International that it was violating the country’s tobacco regulation law. As of July 1, 2008, the law prohibits all forms of tobacco advertising in mass media including the Internet, places strict restrictions on other tobacco promotional activities (for example, allowing promotional displays only at point-of-sale of adult only facilities), and bans tobacco company sponsorship of concerts and other events. Philip Morris International’s involvement in the Eraserheads concert appears to violate different aspects of the law.

Health advocates are calling on Philip Morris International and Eraserheads to terminate any tobacco industry involvement in the concert and calling on Philippines government authorities to take action against any violation of the tobacco regulation law.

“Eraserheads members should not allow themselves to be deceived by Philip Morris and should protect their fans from this devious marketing ploy. Considered one of the most influential bands in the Philippines, Eraserheads has become a role model for our youth. I hope they will rise to the challenge and help young Filipinos lead healthy, tobacco-free lives by finding other sponsorship for the concert,” said Dr. Maricar Limpin, Executive Director of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines, a leading tobacco control organization in the Philippines. She called on Eraserheads to follow the example of Alicia Keys and end tobacco industry involvement in the band’s concert.

“Once again, Philip Morris International has been caught engaging in cigarette marketing that appeals to children in a developing country and that would not be tolerated in the United States and other wealthier nations,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “The issue isn’t just whether Philip Morris International has violated Philippine law, but whether tobacco companies should be engaged in such youth-oriented marketing anywhere. Philip Morris International should immediately cease all such sponsorships and promotions in all countries.”

In the United States, Philip Morris USA and other major tobacco companies are prohibited from engaging in brand name sponsorships of concerts under a 1998 legal settlement with the states. However, in developing countries, tobacco companies continue to sponsor concerts by famous musicians, which health advocates have condemned as a means to market cigarettes to children and to circumvent restrictions on more traditional tobacco advertising.

The World Health Organization’s international tobacco control treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, requires ratifying nations to ban all tobacco advertising promotions and sponsorships. To date, 157 countries including the Philippines have ratified the treaty.

Health advocates dismissed Philip Morris International’s excuses for its involvement in the Eraserheads concert. The company has argued that access to the concert and its web site is restricted to adults. However, the extensive Internet publicity regarding the concert, which links Eraserheads and Marlboro, has been accessible to all ages. A Philip Morris International spokesman also told Philippines media, “We’re not sponsoring the event. We organized it ourselves.” This statement indicates an effort to circumvent the sponsorship ban and does not address other possible violations of the Philippines’ tobacco regulation law.

Currently, over 17 percent of Philippine youth (age 13-15) and 34.7 percent of adults smoke. According to the Philippines Department of Health, 87,600 Filipinos die each year from smoking-related diseases. (source: www.tobaccofreekids.org)

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13 Responses to “Eraserheads Reunion Concert: US Anti-Tobacco Group Slams Philip Morris’s ‘Devious’ Ploy”

i got this from ms jessica zafra Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 7:35 am
t’s a good thing the traffic eased up and the taxi reached my destination, because I was starting to get ticked off. As you may have heard, the Eraserheads are having a reunion concert on August 30. On an AM radio station, two representatives of the Department of Health were discussing the legal issues surrounding the event, which was organized by a cigarette company. A DOH spokesman explained that effective July 1, cigarette advertising and promotions, including sponsorships of shows etc, is banned, and therefore the Eraserheads show violates the law. So he called on the Eheads to “think of the youth”, “do the right thing” etc, and decline to do the concert, for which they have reportedly been paid between 2 and 10 million pesos. He noted that by choosing the Eheads to do the show, the cigarette company is obviously targeting young people. Otherwise, he added, the cancerstick makers would’ve hired Pavarotti or Banyuhay.

a. The cancerstick people did not get Pavarotti to do a concert, because Pavarotti is dead. Not to disparage Banyuhay, but they were not the most popular, most influential band of the 90s. As for hitting the youth market, the Eheads have not played together for many years, and their audience is no longer young.
b. If the concert is indeed illegal, then the DOH should go after the cancerstick company, not the band. Of course, it is easier to take on a disbanded band than a rich and powerful multinational corporation.
c. Yes, the Eraserheads are doing the show for money. Newsflash: Unless one is born independently wealthy, one does things for money. As far as I know, they have never been anti-smoking advocates, and therefore are not selling their principles by agreeing to appear in a show sponsored by carcinogens. Money itself is not evil. Sanctimoniousness pisses me off.
d. Granted, my opinion is colored by the fact that I worked with the Eheads, I remain on good terms with all of them, and I’ve wormed myself into the guest list.
e. I do not smoke, and I have never smoked, but if people want to kill themselves with tar and nicotine they are free to do so, provided they do not smoke in my presence.

- from miss jessica zafra
http://jessicarulestheuniverse.com/2008/08/09/smoking-heads/

i think she hates you.
caloy conde Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 8:49 am
i would be a distinct privilege to be hated by the great jessiza zafra.
rickb Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 8:53 am
more privilege if you were hated by eheads fans, right?
caloy conde Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 9:14 am
don’t kid yourself, rickb.
mr smoker Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 10:52 am
another free advertisement courtesy of our most avid detractor, mr caloy conde.

i challenged you, inamin na ng PMI na sila ang nagorganize nito so wag mong i moderate ang comments sa pinoypress

your last post you are questioning the motives of the eheads, if its for money, music or fans. someone mentioned the spice girls. i think that asong ulol, pertained to the reason why did the spice girls reunite (money vs music) ?the same aspect why do bands of the 80 reunite again to perform. that person is questioning the motives of those groups, include the eheads, and based from your assumptions on that post, its money vs music lang.ung PMI factor tinanggal mo dun, malinaw yun. nagegets mo ba?yun kasi yung tanong mo sa last post mo. NO PMI FACTOR.
kung pinapalabas mo na pera ang dahilan.
why did the band decided to have a group practice ignoring personal differences?is it for the money? for the fans? for the music? bakit ka magprapractice ng grupo?why would they do that?nasa contract ba kaya yun?naka specify na kelangan nila magpractice sa contract?

on that post you brutally undermined the fans. putting words to their mouth, like “eraserheads fans want to know”

hindi ko alam kung ano nakukuha mo dito. but it looks like, nagiging hobby mo na ito.

yup. masama ang smoking. pero clearly legal yung reunion concert.
and if the UP people clamors sa UP sunken garden sila mag reunion, dream on. i know they have reasons kung bakit di pwede. besides UPCAT lang ang napasa nila. they did not graduate. but still they remained professionals, and preparing to put up a good show, for the fans.

if you brand me as asong ulol, fine pero sino yung gawa ng gawa ng blog na paulit ulit, recycling, at hanap ng hanap ng butas sa concert na to.

i dare you mr carlos conde pag me nakita kang naninigarilyo kausapin mo at sabihin mo sa kanya ang mga sinasabi mo dito.

if you do that, then your campaign is genuine.

god bless you
mr smoker Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 10:55 am
eto yung tanong mo o. di ba?

So, again, the question to the band: Is this really all for the music? I, and I’m sure the many sensible Eheads fans out there as well, would really like to know.

Because if this is all about money — and the Eraserheads are not giving any sign so far that it ain’t the case — they might as well drop all the pretense and just say outright that “Philip Morris paid us really, really good money, we will see you all there, and we will have fun! Rakenrol!”
mr smoker Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 10:57 am
“Because if this is all about money — and the Eraserheads are not giving any sign so far that it ain’t the case — they might as well drop all the pretense and just say outright that “Philip Morris paid us really, really good money, we will see you all there, and we will have fun! Rakenrol!”

akala ko nag apologize ka na? bakit judgemental ka pa rin?

your articles have been smudged by the word “bias”
caloy conde Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 11:07 am
hey, mr. smoker, i’m just telling it like it is. and you bet i’m biased. ngayon mo lang na-realize?
caloy conde Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 11:12 am
as to the moderated comments, 1) this is my blog, not yours 2) i only post those comments that advance the discussion 3) i’m not very fond of comments na namemersonal 4)like the others defending philip morris, i ask you this: ikaw, ano ang nakukuha mo kade-depensa sa philip morris? nagiging hobby mo na rin ‘to? 5) i did not “brutally undermined” the fans (whatever you meant by that) — some of them, through the comments here, did want to know. in case di mo napapansin, di lahat sang-ayon sa involvement ng philip morris sa concert na ‘to.
caloy conde Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 11:19 am
mr smoker, magbasa ka naman ng maayos. i apologized for the language that i used in my replies to the comments na personal masyado, such as calling the likes of you “gago” and “ejerks”.

nag-apologize din ako for judging the eheads swiftly. the keyword here is swiftly. by now, after all the confirmation and all, di na “swift” kung magtatanong ako regarding their state of mind when they agreed to do the concert, di ba?
mr smoker Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 11:23 am
di ko dinedepensahan ang PMI. EHEADS lang. music vs money di ba?last blog mo. kung isasali mo ang PMI sa diskusyon, ang isasagot ko.LEGAL ang ginagawa nila.
wala kong nakukuha dito. but i get to interact with a very interesting blogger such as you.
you or your blog clearly, hindi lang sa PMI ang patama, kung hindi sa banda at sa mga fans na sumusuporta dito.

in case di mo napapansin,
blog mo naman to di ba. hari ng iyong mundo.
caloy conde Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 11:33 am
mr smoker, yong mga patama na sinasabi mo, response ko lang yon sa mga abusive comments na tinanggap ko mula nung pinost ko yong original blog, which i suggest you read again.

as to whether legal ang ginagwa ng PMI is still subject to debate. pero mukhang convinced ka na na legal talaga ang ginagawa nila. so in effect biased ka na rin toward philip morris.
mr smoker Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 11:36 am
if its illegal. hindi matutuloy yung concert. kung matuloy man ang concert, and if its illegal, at nasentensyahan ang PMI. you win.

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