Phl lagging on cigar health warnings

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is lagging behind other nations in implementing the law requiring graphic health warnings on cigarette packs, a non-government organization of health advocates said yesterday.

In a statement, Health Justice Philippines said 64 states comprising 40 percent of the world’s population “have finalized picture warning requirements on cigarette packs.”

“In many of these jurisdictions, governments are moving to increase the size of the graphic health warnings. Australia leads with 82.5 percent of the pack covered with the vivid pictorial warnings,” HJP managing director Irene Reyes said.

Thailand, she said, is taking “a big leap” with its plan to increase the size of health warning to 85 percent of cigarette packs from the current 55 percent.

India, for its part, also wanted the space for graphic health warning raised from 20 percent.

“In the Philippines, however, health advocates feel left behind, still needing to call on government to enforce this life-saving measure.

“We are no longer the ‘sick man of Asia’ but so many of our countrymen are still physically afflicted by tobacco,” she added.

Reyes said that some 240 Filipinos die every day from tobacco-related illnesses.

“How many more need to die before our lawmakers implement these in our country? Congress is adjourning once again and we still do not know the fate of the graphic health warning bills. We hope that during the upcoming election campaign period, voters will be able to discern for themselves which of the candidates will make our country’s public health a priority,” she added.

In 2001, Canada became the first country to pass a law mandating picture warnings on cigarette packs.

Since then, 47 countries around the world have put warnings on cigarette packs covering at least 50 percent of the package.