Philippines: Group Asks Gov''t to Require Graphic Warning on Cigarette Packs

Source from:  Business World (ph)  07/10/2013

An international civil society group has called on the government to require tobacco companies to print on cigarette packs graphic images of diseases caused by smoking.

Bungon Ritthiphakdee, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance director, said that the Philippines must join Vietnam and Indonesia, which have agreed to implement such policy by the end of the year, or early next year.

Thailand's Ms. Ritthiphakdee said on the sidelines of the "Smoke-free Laws: Strengthening Enforcement Towards Building Model Smoke-Free Cities in ASEAN" conference that the policy has only been implemented in Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Malaysia.

Regional representatives both from the government and civil society organizations have been meeting in the city since Monday to draft mechanisms that will help curb, if not completely eliminate, consumption of tobacco.

Ms. Ritthiphakdee has blamed the tobacco industry for the failure of governments in the region to implement the anti-smoking policy.

"They do whatever they can to delay the process," she added.

Under Republic Act 9211, or the Tobacco Regulation Act, written warning labels such as "Smoking Kills" must be placed on the cigarette packs. The Department of Health has issued rules that require graphic presentation of tobacco-related disease on cigarette packs but this has been challenged in courts.

Based on data from the tobacco control alliance, the Philippines, among ASEAN countries, has the second highest number of smokers next to Indonesia.
While the anti-smoking campaign is gaining ground among supporters, there is a downside to the ban.

Data from the National Tobacco Administration showed the Philippine tobacco industry provides livelihood to about 43,960 farmers with about 300,000 dependent on the crop. The general industry revenue is estimated at about 31.8 billion.

The Philippine government, in its effort to curb smoking and drinking liquor, has raised excise taxes on the so-called sin products.

Meanwhile, the city government has been cited by the alliance for efforts to curb smoking.
Davao City also became a hall of famer in the Red Orchid Award from the Department of Health, along with the cities of Maasin in Eastern Visayas and Legazpi in Bicol. The award is given to local government units with effective anti-smoking programs.

Last month, the city started implementing a more stringent law against smoking only exempting homes in its regulations. The new law bans smoking in all government offices and other public places, while restaurants and other business establishments can only put up their smoking areas outside the main business centers, enclosed and upon approval of the city government. Enditem