Philippines: Higher Cigarette Prices, Graphic Warnings Will Lessen Number of Youth Smokers — Poll
Source from: GMANews.TV (ph) 11/16/2012
Higher cigarette prices and graphic warnings will lessen the number of youth smokers in the country, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Health Justice Philippines.
The survey, conducted by the Social Weather Stations between August 24 to 27, showed that of 1,200 minors aged 13 to 17 years old, 8 percent are current smokers, 4 percent are previous smokers, while 88 percent are non-smokers.
The results of the survey were released Thursday at a weekly forum at the Senate as senators continued to debate on the controversial sin tax bill, which aims to raise taxes for alcohol and tobacco products.
The survey said Filipino minors who are current smokers usually smoke five cigarettes a day. It also showed that most of the current smokers would stop smoking if each cigarette costs P10.
It also said price is one of the top reasons why current smokers choose certain cigarette brands.
The reasons specifically for smoking a particular brand are taste (34 percent), price (25 percent), 'just for kicks' (16 percent), to get rid of aftertaste (11 percent), the brand is preferred by family members or friends (9 percent), and the brand's prestige (2 percent).
It said more than half of current smokers smoked Fortune (56 percent) in the past 30 days, followed by Marlboro (29 percent), Winston (2 percent), More (1 percent), Plaza (1 percent), Boss (1 percent), Hope (1 percent), and Philip Morris (1 percent).
It added that preference for Fortune is higher in Luzon (62 percent), and Mindanao (62 percent) and Visayas (55 percent), while Marlboro is the preferred brand of minors in the National Capital Region (78 percent).
Graphic warnings
But aside from the price, results of the survey also showed that majority of youth smokers would reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke if there were graphic warnings on the pack.
It specifically said that 63 percent of current smokers surveyed would reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke, 34 percent would stop smoking and 3 percent would continue.
Similarly, 60 percent of previous smokers said they would have stopped smoking if there were graphic warnings on the cigarette packs, while 27 percent would reduce the number of smoked cigarettes; 10 percent would continue; and 3 percent wouldn't know what to do.
Previous smokers had also said that the main reason they stopped smoking was to improve their health and appease their families.
Majority of the current smokers asked also admitted that smoking was really harmful to their health.
Legislation on smoking
The survey, said Senate health panel chair Sen. Pia Cayetano, is proof of the need to pass the sin tax and picture-based health warning bills.
"Today we have the opportunity to change a generation of Filipinos and make them healthier by preventing them from falling into this bad habit," she said during the forum.
"Studies have shown all over the world that these are important components, legislation that will make cigarettes more expensive and less accessible to the youth and health warning on the packaging which will be as the survey shows a clear deterrent to them," she added.
"There is no single solution [to stop smoking] it really has to be a combination of all these measures," she said.
Cayetano said she is supportive of Sen. Franklin Drilon's substitute sin tax bill, which intends to raise government revenues from tobacco and alcohol products from P40 billion to P45 billion.
"I will support the Drilon bill [but will seek] amendments to increase the revenue for that," she said.
Cayetano, however, said her problem with Drilon's bill is that cigarettes would still be affordable. "If it is out of their reach, then they [smokers] have no choice [but to quit]," she said.
Drilon's proposed a unitary tax rate of P32 per pack. The rates for hand-packed cigarettes were modified from P7.56 per pack to P12 in 2013, P22 in 2014, and P28 in 2015.
On the other hand, Cayetano said they may take up the health warning bill after they pass the sin tax, budget, and reproductive health bills.
"I'm hoping na umusad naman siya [health warning bill] ngayon, this will just be a partner bill to the sin tax," she said. Enditem
