Rufus Rodriguez, the representative of the second district of Cagayan de Oro, has called for a Congressional investigation into Flava, the largest e-cigarette brand in the Philippines. The company is currently facing allegations of tax evasion and regulatory non-compliance.
During a search of Flava’s warehouse, authorities found 14,000 boxes of e-cigarettes suspected to be illegal, with an estimated value of 1.428 billion Philippine pesos. This discovery highlights the possibility of tax evasion by Flava.
Reports suggest that Flava has been falsely labeling its products as containing “freebase nicotine” instead of “nicotine salts” to avoid higher consumer taxes. Independent testing has confirmed the presence of nicotine salts and benzoic acid in Flava’s products.
Rodriguez also uncovered Flava’s marketing strategy, which involves social media posts featuring underage individuals using their products. This practice goes against Philippine law, which prohibits the sale of nicotine products to minors and requires health warnings in promotional materials.
It has also been alleged that Flava sponsored events targeting minors, which is a violation of the relevant law. Rodriguez emphasized that Flava’s marketing activities targeting minors not only warrant scrutiny but also deserve moral condemnation as they undermine the market’s integrity and jeopardize the well-being of young people.
