Next president urged to curb smoking in RP

MANILA, Philippines - Anti-tobacco group Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP) has urged the next president to lower tobacco-related diseases in the country by curbing smoking.

FCAP director Dr. Maricar Limpin said the next president should implement “concrete measures” against cigarette smoking.   

“Six years of the next administration is enough to institute measures to stop the youth from getting into smoking addiction and keep preventable smoking-related diseases like cancer, cardio-vascular and pulmonary ailments from eating up the national public health budget,” said Limpin, a pulmonologist.

The 2009 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) initiated by the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization showed that 17.3 million Filipinos above 15 years old smoke.

The GATS, carried out by the National Statistics Office in late 2009, is the country’s first national survey on cigarette smoking. 

Limpin said there are many ways to effectively discourage people from smoking but these are poorly implemented in the country.

These include higher tobacco taxes, printing of picture-based warnings in cigarette packaging, ban on tobacco advertising, and implementing a smoking ban in indoor establishments.