Smoking in Philippines
The Philippines legally allows cigarettes for sale, smoke, and import for trade with some restrictions and regulations. While tobacco advertising is regulated, there is not a complete ban on all forms of advertising. Cigarettes can be purchased both online and from vending machines. However, the law requires health warnings on all packaging, sets a minimum age of 18 years for sales, and includes legal restrictions on smoking in public places, such as healthcare and educational facilities. Cigarettes are subject to a 39.86% specific excise tax, and the total taxation rate is 50.57%. Tobacco smoking remains a significant public health concern in the Philippines. As of 2024, the current prevalence of smoking among adults aged 15 years and older was 19.7%, with a notable gender disparity. The current prevalence of smoking was 35.6% among males and 4.2% among females in 2024. The total number of smokers was reported to be approximately 16.3 million individuals in 2024. Comparing these figures to earlier data from 2021, the smoking prevalence among males was 33.3%, while among females it was 3.7%. The adult daily smoking prevalence in 2021 was 14.5%, with a prevalence of 26.3% among males and 2.6% among females. Smoking-related mortalities are a critical public health issue in the Philippines. 88,169 deaths were attributable to smoking in 2021, accounting for 10% of all deaths in the country in that year. The data also indicate that smoking-related deaths comprised 13.34% of all male deaths and 5.26% of all female deaths in 2021 in the country. These statistics underscore the urgent need for effective public health interventions to address the high smoking rates and associated health consequences in the Philippines.
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February 12, 2024 by 24shareupdates.com
International anti-smoking advocates defend Philippines in WHO conference
International anti-smoking advocates have defended the Philippines against criticisms for its endorsement of state policies aimed at ending smoking in the country. The Philippines recently received a "Dirty Ashtray" award from the Global Alliance on Tobacco Control (GATC) for its support of tobacco harm reduction at a conference convened by the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Advocates argue that attacking the country for promoting life-saving alternatives to lethal cigarettes is authoritarian and moralistic.
January 17, 2024 by tobaccoreporter.com
WHO Report ‘Unscientific”: Mata
A public health advocacy group based in the Philippines has criticized the latest report of the World Health Organization on the use of electronic cigarettes, saying the global body undermines the significant progress made in public health over the past two decades as smokers transitioned to smoke-free products. Lorenzo Mata Jr., president of Quit for Good, said the WHO’s continued demonization of e-cigarettes disregards the wealth of scientific evidence demonstrating that smoke-free alternatives such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and snus have helped millions of smokers in countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and Sweden successfully quit smoking.
November 20, 2023 by inquirer.net
Thailand asked to follow the PH lead in accepting safer tobacco alternatives
A consumer advocate asked the government of Thailand to follow the lead of the Philippines in passing legislation that encourages millions of smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives to prevent deaths and diseases. Asa Saligupta, director of ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST), said Thailand’s ban on smoking alternatives only pushed these products underground, resulting in an unregulated market that deprives the government of revenues and forces consumers to keep on smoking.
October 30, 2023 by inquirer.net
Need for more nuanced messaging on vaping, smoking
The latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) shows that 14.1 percent of youth aged 13 to 15 are current vape users. This is a jump from 11 percent in 2015. This modest increase is enough to worry some health advocates, intensifying calls for greater regulation of vaping products. It is certainly the case that these kids should not be touching any sort of smoking or vaping paraphernalia. In that regard, more stringent vaping regulations might be warranted. However, things must be put in perspective when reporting about these trends.
September 14, 2023 by manilatimes.net
Tobacco ban ignored near PH schools – study
TOBACCO and nicotine products sale and advertising still persist within the proximity of schools in the Philippines despite government regulations, a study shows. An observational study conducted by the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health also finds that enforcement of the comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship near schools is "one of the most cost-effective and high-impact ways to reduce demand for tobacco
August 08, 2023 by tobaccoreporter.com
Philippines: New Rules for Vape Supplier Imports
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in the Philippines said it will require importers of raw materials for vaping products to seek special clearances to release their shipments. [...] “For vape products, we are going to require them to (apply for) the authority to release imported goods for raw materials,” BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said. “We are thinking of ways to regulate because there are so many vape products now. The production of vape products is a backyard industry, so we’re thinking of ways to regulate it.”
April 24, 2023 by inquirer.net
Youth caught in ‘vape epidemic’: DepEd, CHEd pressed for solution
MANILA, Philippines —Advocacy groups have warned of the “vape epidemic” among young people and urged the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to act since children’s lives are at risk.
The Child Rights Network (CRN) and Parents Against Vape (PAV) believe that the government’s education agencies are best suited to enforce Republic Act 11900’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) implementing rules and regulations.
March 27, 2023 by thephilippinepost.com
Study Reveals Vaping Can Effectively Help Adults Stop Smoking
There is enough evidence that support the use of electronic cigarettes as an aid for smoking cessation in adults, says Kenneth E. Warner, PhD, professor emeritus of Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan.
Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes are hand-held, battery-operated devices that heat a liquid containing propylene glycol and/or glycerin, flavoring compounds, and typically nicotine to produce an aerosol that users inhale, or vape.
February 06, 2023 by inquirer.net
Senators fume over vape industry’s targeting the youth market, urge DTI to uphold law
Outraged senators on Monday decried the sale of vaping products that are packaged to entice the youth and demanded that the Department of Trade and Industry uphold the law.
During the plenary session, the Senate adopted an unnumbered resolution, which was referred to the Senate committee on sustainable development goals, innovation and futures thinking, chaired by Senator Pia Cayetano.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri proposed the adoption of a resolution as Cayetano delivered a privilege speech on the unregulated selling of vape products targeting minors through its packaging and flavor.
November 29, 2022 by bworldonline.com
Why we should raise taxes on vapes
Over the past decade, the Philippines has achieved a level of international best practice in its tobacco control policies. In 2015, when the number of current smokers went down from 17 million (2009) to 15.9 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) commended the country for achieving the largest number of smokers that quit in a short period of time in the Western Pacific.
Despite the great strides we’ve made in preventing Filipinos from smoking, we face a unique new challenge in the form of electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), otherwise known as e-cigarettes or vapes.