Inquirer files
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has allegedly accepted the donation of mobile clinics from tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. (PMFTC) despite warnings and criticisms from former senior government officials.
The Quezon City government, in an Aug. 1 post on its official Facebook page, said the DSWD has turned over a mobile clinic to the city as part of the “Lab for All: Laboratoryo, Konsulta at Gamot para sa lahat!” program of first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
READ: Parents group slams DOJ, DSWD: Why take aid from Big Tobacco?
In the photos were Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, QC Mayor Joy Belmonte and QC Vice Mayor Gian Sotto. They were joined in by Eton Properties Philippines Inc. president and CEO Kyle Tan and PMFTC director for external affairs Chita Herce.
The QC government said the mobile clinic was donated by the “Lucio Tan Group of Companies,” or the LT Group. PMFTC is a subsidiary of the LT Group with a 50-50 percent stake, along with Philip Morris International.
The Inquirer tried to reach DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao on Sunday to confirm if the mobile clinic turned over to the QC government was among the three mobile clinics PMFTC supposedly donated to the agency earlier this year for “the use of social welfare and disaster response operations.” Dumlao has yet to respond as of press time.
Albert Domingo, spokesperson for the Department of Health (DOH), meanwhile, defended Herbosa’s inclusion in the photos, saying he “continues to be a staunch tobacco and vape control advocate.”
“The DOH did not accept any donations from the tobacco/vape industry. The secretary extends courtesy and kindness to all who invite him for a photograph taken in good faith. His and the department’s strong positions against the tobacco/vape industry remain,” he said in a message.
In February this year, the DSWD’s Legal Service recommended declining the PMFTC donation, prompting Gatchalian to ask the legal opinion of the Department of Justice in May.
The legal opinion was issued on June 6, which allowed the DSWD and other offices to accept donations from tobacco companies.