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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos urged to let DOH lead Philippines' delegation to WHO tobacco control summit

Marcos urged to let DOH lead Philippines' delegation to WHO tobacco control summit

Published Nov 11, 2025 02:55 pm
(MB FILE PHOTO)
(MB FILE PHOTO)
Former Cabinet secretaries have urged President Marcos to designate the Department of Health (DOH) as head of the Philippine delegation to the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in Geneva, Switzerland this month.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, Nov. 11, former officials from the DOH, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), and Civil Service Commission (CSC) stressed that the Philippines’ leadership in the COP11 to the WHO FCTC is crucial to its national credibility, public health protection, and global health diplomacy.
“WHO FCTC is a global health treaty, and therefore the delegation should be led by the agency mandated to safeguard the health and well-being of Filipinos,” they stated.
By allowing the DOH to lead the COP11 delegation, they said the Philippines would “demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting the Filipino people’s right to health and reaffirm the nation’s integrity in global health diplomacy.”
According to the signatories, tobacco claims around 112,000 lives in the Philippines annually—deaths they described as “preventable losses” that call for government leadership placing public health above commercial interests.
“The Philippines is currently serving as President of the 78th World Health Assembly under DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa,” they underscored.
The signatories added that designating the DOH as head of the Philippine delegation would ensure policy consistency and bolster the nation’s reputation in global health governance.
They further noted that at the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) held in Panama, the Philippines was given its fifth “Dirty Ashtray” Award, a public censure for allegedly siding with tobacco industry positions in international negotiations.
They warned that a similar lapse at COP11, coinciding with National Children’s Month, could harm the Philippines’ international standing and weaken initiatives to protect children from nicotine dependence.
“Public health must come before profit,” the signatories stressed.

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DOH President Marcos tobacco control DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa COP11
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