Lawmakers, farmers buck graphic warnings in cigar packs

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers, farmers and industry players have expressed opposition to the pending bills in Congress seeking to use graphic health warnings to promote awareness on the hazardous effect of tobacco smoking.

They criticized the bills, saying they are “unjust, irrelevant, ruinous to business and intellectually insulting.”

The criticisms were hurled during a hearing conducted last week by the House committee on health.

Cagayan Rep. Randolph Ting said he is worried for farmers in his province who would be greatly affected by the proposals, especially in light of the difficulty of small players to cope with competition against imported brands.

“If we will pass the bills immediately without consideration to the export and import of cigarettes in country, then it will be to the detriment of the tobacco industry in our country. We don’t even have another source of income for our farmers,” Ting said.

He agreed with farmer representatives during the hearing that their income from tobacco farming is not enough and should be augmented.

“If we will have such laws on the graphic health warning, this will prevent our local industries to prosper and will have an effect on us in the province. It could be that only imported brands will come in our local market which will have an effect on us,” he said.

La Union Rep. Victor Ortega said instead of passing a new law on tobacco use, the government should first strictly enforce existing rules and regulations like the prohibition on the sale of cigarettes to minors.

Farmers belonging to the National Federation of Tobacco Farmers’ Associations and Cooperatives Inc. urged the House committee on health to junk the pending graphic health warning bills.