Lawmakers in the Philippines said the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, possibly violated several laws including those related to graft and corruption, ethical conduct, tobacco, and lobbying when FDA received US$150,430 in funding from The Union in support of its tobacco control policy development.
The hearing was the latest step in the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s investigation into whether the funds received led to specific and pre-defined e-cigarette and heated tobacco products.
House representative Sharon Garin said, “It was so obvious that the donation was made to influence FDA, [and that this] tantamount to bribery. We could not be puppets of institutions that are not even Filipinos. This is not only a violation of the laws that we have, it is a violation of our Constitution,” while Rodante Marcoleta, deputy House speaker, asked if it is “improper or irregular” for FDA to receive private funding from advocates calling to ban tobacco in the country.
Bloomberg’s anti-tobacco efforts, now also extended to include e-cigarettes and HNBs, by influencing governments, tobacco control groups, and public health agencies to adopt Bloomberg-approved policies. Bloomberg is increasingly under scrutiny by media and industry players.