The cigarette makers' view

Philip Morris chairman owns up to Eraserheads "promotional event." "I trust that this rather sterile exchange of correspondence will be replaced by a genuine and constructive dialogue. I recognize that we may never agree on everything, but it is my belief that we are more ally than foe in pursuing actions that will advance the cause of youth smoking prevention." -- Philip Morris chairman and CEO Louis Camilleri (letter to tobacco control advocate Matthew Myers). "We admit that smoking really is harmful, and it’s also the obligation of the government to see to it that we maintain the health of the people." -- Fortune Tobacco president Antonio Abaya (interview below). Of all people, the Eraserheads are giving the tobacco issue buzz these days. Ever since it was revealed that Philip Morris is sponsoring, at a hefty price, a brief reunion concert of the iconic Pinoy rock band, irate commentary has circulated on the internet about this new marketing strategy that almost slipped under the radar. Entertainment columnist Ricky Lo started the guessing game about who this corporate benefactor was that would get the E-heads back together again. Internet sleuths soon figured out it was Marlboro, which is owned by Philip Morris. Two weeks after the controversy started, the chair and CEO of Philip Morris himself, Louis Camilleri, owned up to the marketing gimmick in an angry July 30 letter from his New York headquarters to US-based tobacco control advocate, Matthew Myers. The "promotional event" he refers to is the Eraserheads concert on August 30 on the Cultural Center of the Philippines' front lawn:

Please be advised that the promotional event you refer to is an invitation-only event, not open to the general public. It is restricted to our trade partners and to adult smokers who can obtain an invitation by registering on our adult-only access website... Invitations cannot be purchased and are not transferable.

A corporate behemoth was forced into this elaborate procedural dance by a tobacco advertising ban in the Philippines that went into effect just last July 1. Online OPM impresario Jim Ayson: There is some irony noted that it took a tobacco company to pull it off. As far as we know, three of the Eraserheads don't smoke. Raimund is asthmatic (hence the use of his email userID asmatik88), Ely is a heart attack survivor, and we have never seen Buddy with a cigarette in hand. Nearly all of the early marketing of this event took place online through clever viral rumor-mongering. Jim Ayson again:

Were the clues and leaks and blind items intentionally scattered out there as a devious form of viral marketing? Perhaps. If it was really a viral campaign, it has proved to be quite effective, and my hat goes off to the digital marketing strategist who conceived it.

This buzz coincides with a heated debate in Congress about bills that would require cigarette companies to place pictures of smokers with various grotesque ills on cigarette packs. A health committee Senate hearing tomorrow chaired by Sen. Pia Cayetano will entertain questions from other senators about the Senate bill. Fourteen countries already have a law requiring hideous pictures. An example from Brazil: This one warns of cancer of the larynx, the subject of our documentary last Monday. Except for the letter from Philip Morris, the cigarette industry has been mostly quiet during this time, perhaps content with allowing its friends in Congress to fight their battle. Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of interviewing the president of the nation's leading cigarette company, Fortune Tobacco, Antonio Abaya, a retired Army general who has been with the Lucio Tan-owned company for over 20 years. Some meaty excerpts from the interview: