MANILA, Philippines—The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP) cheered the pull-out of cigarette maker Philip Morris Phils. from the much-awaited Eraserheads reunion concert this weekend.

”All's well that ends well. We are happy with this development. This is victory for all of us," said FCAP executive director Dr. Maricar Limpin in a statement issued after the tobacco manufacturer announced on Wednesday it was not sponsoring the concert any longer.

Limpin said she and other advocates were excited about the August 30 one-night only concert, saying they were fans of the band.

And now that Philip Morris has withdrawn from the event, the health community was even more excited about the concert, she noted.

"Now, we will all be able to watch the concert without fear of being polluted by advertising ploys of deadly products. And we hope the concert will truly be smoke-free," she added.

The Erasherheads was a fixture on radio in the nineties and was considered one of the most influential Filipino acts. The quartet, which critics said captured the spirit of their generation, disbanded in 2000.

Limpin said she hoped that the band would dissuade youngsters from taking up the smoking habit.

FCAP and the health department recently campaigned against the concert, saying Philip Morris was using it to skirt the country’s law banning cigarette makers from advertising their products in all forms of media.

FCAP said the company, which manufactures the Marlboro brand, employed viral marketing through the Internet to promote their products and used the band to encourage the public to visit their sponsored website.

The health department had said that the company could face criminal charges if found flouting the ad ban.

According to the health department, around 10 Filipinos die from smoking-related diseases every hour. The number goes up to 240 Filipinos every day or around 87,600 deaths every year.