Better late than never.
Executives from Unilever Philippines, the manufacturing company behind the toothpaste brand Closeup, is now facing charges for failing to control the party drugs which caused the death of five concertgoers in the “Closeup Forever Summer” concert held in May last year, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.
The National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) filed charges of criminal negligence and violation of the Corporation Code against Unilever executives, event organizers, and security personnel.
According to the NBI, the organizers failed to anticipate security problems which made it easy for the victims to access illegal drugs during the concert.
The organizers “appear to be criminally liable based on the responsible officer doctrine for they held a position of responsibility and authority in their respective corporations; and had the ability to prevent the unwanted incidents but failed to do so,” the complaint read.
The fatal incident took place on May 22, 2016 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Four Filipinos and one American were found unconscious and later pronounced dead. They tested positive for a drug known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA.
Read: ‘Forever Summer’ tragedy, reported death from spiked drinks
Meanwhile, Closeup spokesperson Ed Sunico said that they are willing to cooperate with the proceedings.
“We acted in good faith in the staging of the event and will continue to cooperate in all the upcoming proceedings,” Sunico said.
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