Mighty Corp, Wong Chu King Foundation cited for their charitable works

Mighty Corp, a Filipino owned tobacco manufacturer known for the quality cigarettes in the country has been cited over their charitable works. 

With the help of their foundation, Wong Chu King Foundation which prioritized Catholic education in its programs and projects.

According to Bishop Rodolfo Beltran of San Fernando City said Mighty Corp and its humanitarian armdonated to church projects and funded the education of poor students in Lagawe, Bontoc. 

“The parents of these students are low-income farmers producing only for local consumption. You can imagine the positive impact this kind of support has for them,” Beltran said.

The foundation also renovated the churches in the Visayas region, the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat Church in Piat, Cagayan in 2012 and the Diocesan Shrine of Immaculate Conception in Naic, Cavite last year.

Auxiliary Bishop Ricardo Baccay of Tuguegarao City said that Wong Chu King and Mighty's good deeds as a step in the direction ... if Wong Chu King is out to help schools, putting up libraries is the best form of help it can give.

Meanwhile, Archbishop emeritus Diosdado Talamayan of Archdiocese of Tuguegarao City said: “I have personally known Mrs. Nelia Wong Chu King, chariman of the board of trustees of the foundation. She and her family are great devotees of Our Lady of Piat. They have erected a chapel in Malolos City, Bulacan, dedicated to Our Lady of Piat, which was blessed by many Bishops led by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales in 2012.”

Mighty Corp planning to buy 10 million kilograms of tobacco products

Mighty Corp. a Filipino owned tobacco manufacturer which selling quality, low priced cigarettes is buying 10 million kilograms of tobacco products from farmers in Northern Luzon. The worth of the said products worth millions of pesos.

According to the  letter of intent by Mighty executive vice president Oscar Barrientos to National Tobacco Administration administrator Edgardo Zaragoza said they want to buy tobacco from farmers 100 percent more than the five million kilograms that Mighty Corp 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 said.

This will end the speculations made by the critics and spreading lies about Mighty Corp has been importing raw materials from foreign countries at low prices and not buying tobacco from local farmers.

Meanwhile, Mighty Corp’s market shares increased as the government implemented the Sin Tax Law.That's why smokers nowadays are switching to low-priced cigarettes. 

Mighty Corp signed an agreement for an outreach program in the Ilocos region

Bulacan-based manufacturer of quality cigarettes, Mighty Corp recently signed an agreement for outreach projects. It will benefits the tobacco farmers in the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley provinces.

According to Mighty president retired General Edilberto Adan and vice president retired Judge Oscar Barrientos, he said that they signed an agreement with the National Federation of Tobacco Growers’ Association and Cooperatives represented by its national president Mario Cabasal. 

The said joint projects which aim to uplift tobacco farmers under the former’s corporate social responsibility program. Mighty Corp has already delivered 90 diesel-fed water pumps and 16 units of power tillers to various farm groups in the provinces of Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Isabela and Cagayan.

Meanwhile, Mighty does have plans to support the NTA’s yearly search for the best tobacco farmers in the country. NTA Administrator Edgar D. Zaragoza said Mighty’s CSR will boost the tobacco industry.

“The more players dealing directly with the farmers, the better and merrier,” Zaragoza said on the initiative of Mighty Corp.

“This should encourage other industry players to do the same to help the tobacco farmers and their families," he added.

Mighty Corp: Doing good deeds thru their Corporate Social Responsibility program

Filipino-owned tobacco manufacturer, Mighty Corp also focus on their Corporate Social Responsibility program thru Wong Chu King Foundation.  

According to San Fernando City Bishop Rodolfo Beltran, he commended on what the foundation and Mighty helped the community by spreading the faith in the Philippines. Also they prioritized apostolic works and education in its projects.

He added that they donated to church projects and funded scholarships to deserving students in Lagawe, Bontoc. The charitable arm of Mighty picked four seminarians and students of vocational courses.

“The parents of these students are low-income farmers producing only for local consumption,” the bishop said. “So you can imagine the positive impact this kind of support has for them.”, he added.

The bishop also praised Mighty Corp for their outreach project in which benefits 65,000 organized tobacco farmers of Northern Luzon. Last January, the signing of agreement on the project between Mighty and 200 farmer leaders of the National Federation of Tobacco Farmers and Cooperatives Inc was held in the North. The members of the cooperatives are from Pangasinan, La Union, Abra, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

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In the memorandum agreement, it stated that Mighty will donate 16 hand tractors worth P2.5 million and 90 irrigation pumps worth P1.1 million to the farmers.

“I’m quite happy about all these projects. It’s a big lift for our farmers, not only in La Union but also the whole of Northern Luzon,” Beltran said. “This is something very beautiful as the hand tractors and water pumps encourage our farmers to use modern methods of agriculture.”

Aside from these donations, the foundation also renovated churches in the country. Some of the beneficiaries are Basilica Minore of the Our Lady of Piat Church in Piat, Cagayan, and Diocesan Shrine of Immaculate Conception in Naic, Cavite.

Meanwhile, Auxiliary Ricardo Baccay of Tuguegarao City lauded Mrs. Nelia Wong Chu King's institution as a step in the right direction. He said that his diocese, like all dioceses, have serious concerns. If WCKF is out to help schools, putting up libraries is the best form of help it can give.

“For many years, I have personally known the chairman, WCKF chairman of the board of trustees,” said Archbishop Emeritus Diosdado Talamayan of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao City. “She and her family are great devotees of Our Lady of Piat, and they have erected a chapel in Malolos City, Bulacan, dedicated to Our Lady of Piat, which was blessed by many bishops led by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales in 2012.”

Archdiocese of Caceres' Archbishop Rolando Tirona describes the owner of Mighty Corp as an upright family and said it was “highly uncharacteristic for them to be involved in the illicit trade practices of technical smuggling and tax evasion.”

Substantial evidence against Mighty Corp

The Bulacan-based manufacturer, Mighty Corp has been known for their quality cigarettes in the country for the past seven decades. Since October last year, they were accused by PMFTC by doing technical smuggling and underpaid taxes. Widespread smear campaigns online and broadsheet that makes the company "trial by publicity". There are some speculations made by Lucio Tan-owned company which has no probable proof. 

Philip Morris does not pay a royalty for the brands that it produces here in our country. Mighty Corp paid more than P8 billion in excise tax as of last year. When a study done by the research firm, AC Nielsen saying that the company’s selling at a loss of P4 per pack. Where's the substantial evidences that Mighty Corporation did it?

According to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said that information obtained from sources and his department’s analysis, the company is covering the loss from sales of cigarettes Mighty does not declare to the BIR.  He immediately order four officials to submit their report on or before Aug. 30, 2013. Where are the reports that the said officials did their own investigation against Mighty?

AC Nielsen claimed Mighty did not pay the excise tax.  According to BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto Henares said that it is not her business to find out why Mighty is selling at a loss under an excessive tax rate. They don’t have proofs that Mighty Corp did technical smuggling of tobacco in the country.

Though Mighty Corporation was the center of several controversies surrounding the tobacco industry, two government agencies, BIR and BOC must also check if other tobacco companies are liable to operate their business in the Philippines. And for AC Nielsen, they must do their intensive research rather to publish malicious lies against Mighty Corp.

Here's the thing: Will Philip Morris and Fortune Tobacco Corp. finally reveal the merger and accepts fair competition? The Wongchuking-owned business is looking forward on their extensive growth in the country. Truth must prevail.