June is national No Smoking Month

We cannot let the month pass without taking advantage of the month’s focus on raising the awareness about the ills of smoking. Recently, we heard about a historic vote in the US Senate that is expected to lead to a major breakthrough in the anti-smoking campaign. Regulators will be expected to limit the nicotine content in the cigarettes, put more curtailment to ads that glorify tobacco and to ban flavored products aimed at spreading the habit to young people. 

Maybe the same restrictions can be done here. But the last news we heard on the anti-smoking campaign is not too good. The reports say that our legislators failed to pass into law the Graphic Health Warning Bill before the deadline set by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which is last September 2008. This is despite a popular campaign by Filipinos in the country to support House Bill (HB) 3364 “An Act to Effectively Instill Health Consciousness Through Picture-Based Health Warnings on Tobacco Products”. Under this bill, tobacco companies will be required to put graphic picture warnings of diseases and disabilities caused by smoking to serve as explicit warnings to the public. It seems that tobacco companies have found allies in some of our congressmen whose arguments effectively translated into majority votes against the bill, thus aborting its timely approval. There were published reports that bribes were afloat during that day of decision. I hope these congressmen who are guilty realize that they are putting a hindrance to what could save lives even at this very moment. On a positive note, we know that last year, Senator Pia Cayetano, through a bill she introduced, has succeeded in banning cigarette advertisements in all forms. This is a significant achievement in the anti-smoking campaign in a nation where about one-third of the population smoke; nonetheless, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done if we want to protect Filipinos from dying or getting sick from smoking. 

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death globally, which causes more than five million deaths a year, more in number of casualties than those caused by AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Deaths caused by exposure to second-hand smoke is another case; the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 200,000 workers die each year due to exposure to smoke at work and around 700 million children, or almost half of the world’s children, breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke, particularly at home. WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan has warned that only 100 percent smoke-free environments can adequately protect from dangers of second-hand smoke.

In the Philippines, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reports that ten Filipinos die every hour due to smoking. Furthermore, 35 percent of the general population are smokers, of which 60 percent are males, 9 percent are women, 15 percent of whom are young girls in their teens. Also, five out of the ten causes of death in our country can be attributed to cigarette smoking. Hence, we commend the efforts of anti-smoking advocates who are trying to reduce smoking and its casualties in the country. We commend the examples set by the following leaders in successfully banning smoking within buildings and public places under their jurisdiction — GSIS PGM Winston Garcia, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte, Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, Taguig City Mayor Freddie Tinga, Marikina City Mayor Marides Fernando, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn. We hope that other city officials will follow suit for the sake of their constituents and the Filipino public in general.   Moreover, “no smoking” posters should be mounted in major crowded public areas here, similar to the practice in major cities in the United States. And, most important of all, Filipinos should learn to follow the signs and regulations when they see them. 

The addiction to cigarette is considered a global epidemic worse than other diseases besetting the world because of its deadly effects to the body. At the same time, it is the most preventable sickness if only people will think of their health first before putting a cigarette stick in their mouths. Hence, let us paint the grim picture as vividly as we can on the cigarette labels about how cigarettes can kill. The sooner we get the appropriate legislations to back up our crusade against smoking, the better. Businessmen should stop looking for more profits in selling cigarettes and think of the common good. We call on our officials in the Senate and Congress to make the anti-smoking bills their top priority.