THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Thursday that it has issued a preliminary order and/or preventive order, prohibiting PMFTC, Inc. from marketing or advertising its IQOS ILUMA x Steve Aoki Limited Edition.
In a statement, the Trade department said that the Office of the Special Mandate on Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products (OSMV) filed a formal charge against the company on April 23.
“Effective immediately, PMFTC is prohibited from engaging in any form of outward and online marketing or advertising of its IQOS ILUMA x Steve Aoki Limited Edition,” DTI said.
According to the department, the order follows a complaint it received from a coalition of tobacco control and public health organizations on April 15.
“The complaint flagged violations linked to the ‘Steve Aoki Live’ event scheduled for April 26 at Xylo Club in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, which featured promotional content for the IQOS ILUMA product line,” DTI said.
“The campaign’s promotional materials feature a heated tobacco product (HTP) device, which encourages the use of HTP consumables. This directly violates Section 12(d) of Republic Act (RA) 11900, which prohibits any posts, messages, or images promoting the use or purchase of such products,” it added.
Following the order, the DTI OSMV directed the company to take corrective actions and comply with RA 11900 as well as remove all digital and outward advertisements, marketing materials, messages, and imagery that promote the use of the company’s HTPs.
Sought for comment, PMFTC said that it commits to fully comply with all applicable government regulations in the conduct of its business.
“We believe that the alleged formal charge stems from a misappreciation of the facts and the law … We will address the alleged violation at the administrative proceedings in due time,” it said in a statement on Thursday.
“We do not market to minors under any circumstances. Our communications are strictly intended for legal-age consumers. We actively implement robust measures and utilize available technologies to prevent our messaging from reaching unintended audiences,” it added. — Justine Iris D. Tabile
