Mighty Corp bought 10 million kilogram of tobacco products for tobacco farmers in Luzon

Mighty Corp (MC), one of the country’s local producers of low-priced cigarettes, yesterday announced it will buy 10 million kilograms of tobacco products worth millions of pesos from farmers in Northern Luzon and elsewhere in the country.

In an official letter of intent he sent to National Tobacco Administrator Edgardo D. Zaragoza, MC Executive Vice President Oscar P. Barrientos said it is buying tobacco from farmers 100 percent more than the five million kilograms his firm bought in 2013.

“This is to assure our tobacco farmers of our willingness to help in response to the published report of the market leader in the tobacco industry to lessen production this year,” Barrientos, a retired regional trial court judge, said.

The letter of intent, in effect, debunked critics’ allegations that MC has been importing raw materials from foreign countries at low prices and therefore it is no longer buying tobacco from local farmers.

Barrientos said their critics have been resorting to a disinformation campaign using convoluted data in an effort to undermine Mighty’s tremendous increase of its market shares.

MC’s market shares surged to almost 20 percent of the low-priced cigarette brands last year from three percent the previous year, resulting to the payment P8.2 billion in excise taxes.

According to Barrientos, their market shares shot up after the government effectively implemented Republic Act 10352, otherwise known as the Sin Tax Law that leveled the playing field in the multibillion-peso tobacco industry which was controlled by Philip Morris and Fortune Tobacco. The new law that took 14 years to pass and certified as urgent by President Aquino III caused a tremendous migration of smokers from the expensive premium and sub-premium brands to low-priced cigarettes.

It also resulted to some smokers, because of economic reason, to simply quit the vice and thus validated health authorities estimate that the sin tax law would result to the decrease of the number of smokers in the country.

Before the end of 2013, total tax collection by the BIR hit an all time increase of P91.6 billion from P60.4 billion in 2012. Taxes from cigarettes represented 61.6 percent or almost two thirds of all sin tax collection for 11 months of 2013.


Mighty Corp., then a minor player with a measly three percent of the market share with only P500 million in excise tax payments before the sin tax law took effect in 2012, contributed P8.2 billion in tax payments in 2013, discrediting its critics that it had allegedly committed technical smuggling and tax evasion.

Mighty Corp help to rebuild churches in Cebu, Bohol

The recent quake that destroyed or damaged historical churches in Bohol and Cebu has firmed up the advocacy of wholly-Filipino tobacco company Mighty Corp (MC) to build more churches in the country.

Retired Judge Oscar P. Barrientos, executive Vice President and spokesperson of MC, said in a statement that the destruction of churches during the quake in Bohol and Cebu has prompted MC to continue with its mission to strengthen the Filipino faith.

“The recent calamities that hit the country last year only strengthened the Filipino faith. Mighty Corp. will continue to build churches that Filipinos go to in their times of great trials,” said Barrientos in the statement.

The advocacy has prompted Church leaders, like Caceres Archbishop Rolando Tirona, to express support for MC in its struggle to clear its name amid charges of technical smuggling and tax evasion.

In a statement released by MC, Tirona was quoted as saying that MC “adheres strictly to the company’s commitment to its corporate social responsibility.”

The family that owns MC, the Wongchukings, has a record of building and repairing churches.

Last year, the Wongchuking Foundation Inc. (WFI), helped renovate the Diocesan Shrine of Immaculate Conception in Naic, Cavite, and rebuild the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat in Cagayan.

WFI, said the MC statement, also supports poor but deserving students through scholarship programs, with beneficiaries from the elementary to the college level.

The foundation has also initiated relief operations when

Bulacan, the host province of the MC tobacco factory, suffered heavy damage from monsoon rains. It also launched relief operations in Naic, Cavite when the town was hit by Typhoon “Gener.”

Archbishop Emeritus Diosdado Talamayan, of the Archdiocese of Cagayan, also earlier expressed support for the Wongchuking family.

In a handwritten letter, Talamayan said, “For the past many years, I have personally known Mrs. Nelia Wongchuking. She, together with the entire family, are great devotees of Our Lady of Piat.”

Talamayan added that the family has built a chapel in Malolos, Bulacan as a gesture of their devotion.

Experts trained tobacco workers from Mighty Corp, local cigarette firms

Thirty people, including 17 from local tobacco manufacturer Mighty Corp., have completed a proficiency-training seminar conducted by American experts on tobacco leaf utilization, leaf chemistry and leaf purchases.
The seminar, jointly conducted by MC and American Tobacco Associates (TA) Inc., also trained the participants on the US Leaf Standards Grading System for both Burley and flue-cured tobacco developed by the US tobacco industry in the early 1900s.

Bobby Wellons, tobacco training specialist from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted the US Leaf Standards Seminar on Burley and flue-cured together with TA’s vice president, Hank Mozingo.


According to retired Gen. Edilberto Adan, MC president, understanding leaf tobacco grading standards provides the foundation for learning and appreciating tobacco qualities and characteristics in the Philippines.


“More specifically,” he said, “the seminars helped those directly involved in tobacco manufacturing gain a better understanding of the unique characteristics of each US tobacco grade and which grades are more suitable for specific blend needs.”     


While MC provided all the necessary on-site assistance and essentials, the TA group supplied all tobacco samples and training materials. 


The short but comprehensive course was conducted at the new MC facility (Pavilion) located inside the factory grounds.  


Aside from the MC participants, the others came from the National Tobacco Administration, Universal Leaf Philippines, Trans-Manila Inc., Continental Leaf, Prudence and WCD. 


The first two days of the seminar focused on the Burley tobacco grades and characteristics. The remaining three days covered flue-cured. 


At the end of the training course, each participant received a certification from USDA for completing the program.
Overall, the tobacco grading seminar has successfully served its purpose, providing participants with a deeper and a more extensive knowledge on the different sectors of the tobacco industry.

Experts trained Mighty Corp, local tobacco companies' workers

Thirty people, including 17 from local tobacco manufacturer Mighty Corp., have completed a proficiency-training seminar conducted by American experts on tobacco leaf utilization, leaf chemistry and leaf purchases.
The seminar, jointly conducted by MC and American Tobacco Associates (TA) Inc., also trained the participants on the US Leaf Standards Grading System for both Burley and flue-cured tobacco developed by the US tobacco industry in the early 1900s.

Bobby Wellons, tobacco training specialist from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted the US Leaf Standards Seminar on Burley and flue-cured together with TA’s vice president, Hank Mozingo.
According to retired Gen. Edilberto Adan, MC president, understanding leaf tobacco grading standards provides the foundation for learning and appreciating tobacco qualities and characteristics in the Philippines.


“More specifically,” he said, “the seminars helped those directly involved in tobacco manufacturing gain a better understanding of the unique characteristics of each US tobacco grade and which grades are more suitable for specific blend needs.”     


While MC provided all the necessary on-site assistance and essentials, the TA group supplied all tobacco samples and training materials. 


The short but comprehensive course was conducted at the new MC facility (Pavilion) located inside the factory grounds.  


Aside from the MC participants, the others came from the National Tobacco Administration, Universal Leaf Philippines, Trans-Manila Inc., Continental Leaf, Prudence and WCD. 


The first two days of the seminar focused on the Burley tobacco grades and characteristics. The remaining three days covered flue-cured. 
At the end of the training course, each participant received a certification from USDA for completing the program.
Overall, the tobacco grading seminar has successfully served its purpose, providing participants with a deeper and a more extensive knowledge on the different sectors of the tobacco industry.