Mighty Corporation on alleged illicit activities

In a report written by Amado P. Macasaet on February 19, 2014, BIR Commissioner and CPA-Lawyer Kim Henares was tagged as the unofficial counsel to Mighty Corp.  The commissioner however denies this and declared on ABS-CBN that Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC) maybe held liable for libel or slander because of this unfounded allegations. 

The commissioner’s name was mentioned in a report issued by PMFTC to fellow cigarette makers on alleged illicit activities of Mighty Corporation which is owned and managed by Cesar and Alex Wong Chu King.

THE BEGINNING

On October 2013, the case started when detractors spread malicious allegations over the business operations of Mighty Corporation.

THE CAUSE

According to allegations from different detractors, Marlboro’s sales volume significantly went down and is attributed to the down-trading of consumers to low-end brands that sell at Php1.00 per stick, particularly to brands produced by Mighty Corp., a company owned by the Wong Chu King family.

THE JUDGEMENT

Retired judge and now Mighty Corp. Executive Vice President Oscar P. Barrientos said that he finds that quite suspicious.

“Strangely, PMFTC engaged us in a bitter price war, accusing us of technical smuggling, tax evasion, and unfair competition based on a questionable research by AC Nielsen while they probably had the ulterior motive to completely take us out of the picture when they introduced their new low-priced Marlboro Brands while demonizing us in the media at the same time.” Barrientos explained.

*this is a developing story