FORMER officials of the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday lamented the 5th “Dirty Ashtray” award given to the Philippines by the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) after the 10th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP10) to the World Health Organization – Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) hosted by Panama City.
In a statement, former DOH secretary Esperanza Cabral said the government must seriously look into the award, which is given to FCTC parties acting on behalf of the tobacco industry.
“I hope that our delegates at the COP10 will take this dishonor as a wake-up call that they must stand for public health, rather than the vested interests of the tobacco industry,” said Cabral.
This was seconded by former DOH undersecretary Alexander Padilla, who said it is unfortunate that the Philippines has been a party to the disruptions of the FCTC implementation.
“It is alarming to note that we have a Dirty Ashtray Award, as we should be contributing constructively to discussions on the floor, rather than causing confusion or delay,” said Padilla.
The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) said getting the award for the fifth time is a source of shame for Filipinos.
“As a Filipino, I am ashamed that the Philippines was given its fifth Dirty Ashtray. The Philippine delegation demonstrated to the world that it is a willing mouthpiece of a harmful and duplicitous industry,” said SEATCA Executive Director Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo.
At the close of the six-day conference, the civil society smoking watchdog, Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC), awarded the Dirty Ashtray award to the Philippine delegation.
SEATCA noted how COP10 parties failed to achieve consensus to establish an expert group to facilitate the implementation of FCTC provisions on the regulation and disclosure of the contents and emissions of tobacco products.
It noted how the Philippines joined a minority of parties in blocking consensus while proposing a compromise option that further muddled the discussion and caused more delay.
And with no more time left to continue their deliberations, SEATCA said the item was deferred to COP11.
Leading the 30-man Philippine delegation is Office of the President Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevarra, along with representatives of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, Department of Agriculture, National Tobacco Administration, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Education, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Health.
The Philippines has committed to further strengthen its efforts to control tobacco use in the country, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said yesterday.
The PCO, in a news release, said the commitment was made during the 10th Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP10-WHO FCTC) held in Panama from February 5 to 10.
PCO Assistant Secretary for Digital Media and Communications Patricia Kayle Martin, who read the speech of Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Dominic Guevara during the event, said the Philippines will continue to engage in constructive dialogues, and collaboration and share its experiences with fellow Parties of the Conference to overcome various challenges in realizing the aims of the Convention as part of the government’s commitment to the WHO FCTC.
Quoting Guevarra, Martin said the Philippines has already made a significant decrease in tobacco use from 23.8 percent in 2015 to 19.5 percent in 2021 based on the Philippine Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS).
The drop was attributed to a “collective and balanced approach, with whole-of-society and whole-of-government efforts in advocating for and implementing effective policies and legislative measures.”
Guevara said the Marcos administration has also strengthened its multi-sectoral national strategy on tobacco regulation along with its tobacco regulation coordinating mechanism in compliance with Articles 5.1 and 5.2a of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; and enacted Republic Act No. 11900, or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, which established a regulatory framework for the importation, manufacture, sale, packaging, distribution, use, and communication of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products and other novel tobacco products.
He said RA 11900 safeguards minors by restricting the sale, including online trade, distribution and marketing of these products, and prohibits tobacco product-related activities within a hundred meters of schools, playgrounds, and facilities frequented by minors.
Guevarra said that in adherence to Article 6 of the FCTC, the Philippines has also consistently increased excise tax rates on cigarettes and tobacco products, making cigarettes less affordable, and consequently decreasing consumption.
