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.
Read articles from Philippines
September 16, 2021 by businessmirror.com.ph
Health advocate calls for stricter implementation of EO vs smoking
Exposure to passive smoke has had a harmful effect on the health of many people, hence the need to reinforce Executive Order 26 titled “Providing for the Establishment of Smoke-Free Environments in Public and Enclosed Places.”
Former Health Secretary Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan, a trustee of HealthJustice Philippines, said EO 26, which was further expanded to include e-cigarettes in EO 106, will help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in certain public places which have been dubbed by Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) officials as “hot spots” of transmission.
September 09, 2021 by vapingpost.com
Philippine Dental Group Discusses Safer Nicotine Alternatives
The Philippine College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (PCOMS), one of the biggest groups of dental professionals in the country, said that it respects the stance of tobacco harm reduction advocates who are urging smokers to switch from smoking to using non-combustible alternatives. “We are convincing our patients to stop smoking. But if our patients cannot quit, we advise them to at least consider shifting to a non-combustible nicotine delivery system, rather than continue smoking cigarettes and see our patients die of oral cancer,” said Dr. Fernando Fernandez, [...]
September 01, 2021 by businessmirror.com.ph
Experts warn that vaping is hazardous to your health
If you want to quit smoking, vaping is not the best option.
This was stressed by HealthJustice Philippines, a non-government organization, that expressed alarm over the pending Senate Bill 2239 titled “An Act Regulating the Importation, Manufacture, Sale, Packaging, Distribution, Use, And Communication of Vapor Products and Heated Tobacco Products [HTPs],” or commonly known as the Vape Bill, which would encourage people, especially the youth to try vaping.
August 19, 2021 by thesundaily.my
Vape to curb smoking
THERE is a growing belief that the traditional “Quit or Die” public health approach to getting smokers to kick the habit is ineffective, and should be abandoned in favour of less harmful cigarette alternatives like vaping.
This view is echoed by Dr Lorenzo Mata Jr, the president of the Phillippines-based advocacy group Quit for Good. In a speech at the Asia Harm Reduction Forum 2021, Mata said the reality is that there are smokers who just do not want to quit.
He said the best approach is to enable them to switch to safer alternatives like vaping to substantially reduce the risk of death and diseases caused by smoking.
June 13, 2021 by manilatimes.net
1M Filipino smokers switch to 'safer' alternatives
ABOUT 1 million Filipinos have switched to smoke-free alternatives, according to an executive of PMFTC Inc., the local affiliate of Philip Morris International, prompting the company to further push technological innovation for a "smoke-free future."
Dr. Victor Joseph Yamat, PMFTC Scientific Affairs manager, said there are 16 million smokers in the Philippines and 1 million have made the shift from traditional smoking to "safer alternatives."
May 25, 2021 by abs-cbn.com
House passes bill on e-cigarettes, vapes amid concerns over provisions
The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading House Bill 9007 or the proposed Non-Combustible Nicotine Delivery Systems Act covering electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco systems.
According to the congressional fact sheet based on a committee report, the bill seeks to regulate the manufacture, importation, sale, distribution, use, advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS) and heated tobacco products (HTPs).
It also aims to set up harm reduction measures by ensuring that non-combustible alternatives to cigarettes are properly regulated.
May 21, 2021 by inquirer.net
House OKs bill seeking to regulate electronic cigarettes
The House of Representatives approved on second reading a bill that seeks to regulate the use, manufacture, sale and distribution of electronic cigarettes.
During Wednesday’s session, the chamber approved House Bill No. 9007 or the “Non-Combustible Nicotine Delivery Systems Regulation Act.” One of the primary provisions of the bill is that people purchasing, selling, and using electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems, as well as heated tobacco products, must be at least 18 years old.
April 15, 2021 by manilatimes.net
Dental group clarifies stand on e-cigarettes
The Philippine College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (PCOMS), one of the biggest groups of dental professionals in the country, said that it respects the stance of some members who urged smokers to switch to non-combustible alternatives.
Dr. Fernando Fernandez, a member and former president of the group, spoke [...] that if patients cannot quit, they should shift to a “non-combustible nicotine delivery system.”
“We are convincing our patients to stop smoking. But if our patients cannot quit, we advise them to at least consider shifting to a non-combustible nicotine delivery system, [...]
March 29, 2021 by vapingpost.com
Indonesian Medical Expert: Health Warnings For E-Cigs Should be Different
“Health warnings on combustible cigarette packs should not be the same as those on the packaging of e-cigarettes and HTPs (heated tobacco products). This is because e-cigarettes and HTPs have been shown to be 90- to 95-percent less harmful than combustible cigarettes,” said Pangestu [...]
The measures stated in Republic Acts 11346 and 11467 mandate that the Department of Health issues health warning templates for HTPs and vaping products. In line with arguments by other public health experts, Pangestu said that the health warnings should be “proportionate to the risk of smoke-free products.”
February 11, 2021 by philstar.com
PECIA welcomes opportunity to provide inputs on proposed policy for vapor products
The Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association (PECIA), which counts around 200 active members that comprise major players in the local e-cigarette market, participated in the online consultation conducted by Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) implementing rules and regulations (IRR) covering the provisions of Republic Act Nos. 11346 and 11467.
These laws govern the increase in excise tax on alcohol, tobacco products, heated tobacco products and vapor products. These are important concerns that have substantial impact on the business sector but also on public health, at large.