DOH reiterates commitment to stronger tobacco control
The Philippines, through the Department of Health (DOH), expressed readiness to further implement its international commitments to tobacco control.
In a statement issued Sunday, Feb. 11, DOH stated that the Philippines has also joined countries in protecting the environment from tobacco waste and addressing cross-border tobacco promotion and depiction in entertainment.
“We look forward to working with our colleagues from across the government to implement our international commitments to tobacco control back home,” said Health Undersecretary and DOH Chief of Staff Dr. Lilibeth C. David, who was part of the Philippine delegation to the Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
“The DOH will lead tobacco control, because every life is valuable,” David emphasized.
PH’s commitment
DOH highlighted that the Conference, which took place in Panama City, Panama from Feb. 5 to 10, concluded with a “historic decision” to protect the environment and the health of people worldwide from tobacco waste.
The parties or the countries that have joined, DOH explained, also decided to “strengthen guidelines on cross-border tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, and the depiction of tobacco in the entertainment media.”
The Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the WHO FCTC, which is the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Philippines signed the WHO FCTC on Sept. 23, 2003, and ratified it on June 6, 2005.
For this year’s conference, DOH noted that representatives from 142 Parties gathered to tackle a range of issues, from progress on the implementation of the treaty to the regulation of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.
The Philippine delegation was headed by Senior Deputy Executive Secretary (SDES) Attorney Hubert Guevara.
He was joined by officials and staff from the Departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Trade and Industry (DTI), Agriculture (DA), along with the National Tobacco Administration (NTA), Education (DepEd), Health (DOH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Also in attendance were Rep. Rodante D. Marcoleta (SAGIP Party List Representative) and Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO).
DOH OIC Assistant Secretary Dr. Albert Domingo mentioned that at the start of the Conference, Brazil proposed to add an item about Article 18 of the WHO FCTC to the agenda, which addresses concerns regarding the serious risks posed by tobacco growing to human health and the environment.
“We joined the consensus of the Parties to address the environmental impacts from the cultivation, manufacture, consumption, and waste disposal of tobacco products – including plastic cigarette filters,” he added.
David, for her part, also discussed the success of the Philippines in increasing excise taxes on tobacco, resulting in a win-win situation of revenue for UHC and decreased smoking prevalence.
She also recognized the “helpful guidance” of Guevara in leading the Philippine delegation to “strong positions on tobacco control given the requirements of our national law.”
Meanwhile, DOH said that at a side meeting on the State of Tobacco Taxation: Latest Global Developments and Outlook, the participants and experts agreed that “moving forward, while an absolute ban is best, in countries that regulate vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products their excise taxes should be one and the same as those imposed on conventional tobacco products.”
“The Philippines also actively participated in deliberations on another important decision at COP10 - to strengthen guidelines on cross-border tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS), and the depiction of tobacco in the entertainment media,” DOH stated.
The Philippine delegation, DOH added, also took a “position that out of respect for Philippine law and the laws of similarly situated parties, and to enable strong and coordinated implementation, there should be approaches for both countries who ban TAPS outright and for those who restrict.”
DOH mentioned that COP10 also adopted the Panama Declaration, which draws attention to the fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the tobacco industry and the interests of public health.
The Declaration also emphasizes the need for policy coherence within governments to comply with the requirements of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, which aims to protect public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.