Kinalampag ni Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante ang pamahalaan na paigtingin ang kampanya para himukin ang mga kabataan na talikuran ang paninigarilyo pati ang paggamit ng vape.
Ito’y matapos bumaba ang Pilipinas sa 2023 Tobacco Industry Interference (TII) Index kung saan sinusukat ang mga polisiya ng pamahalaan patungkol sa tobacco industry interference at kung nakakasunod ang bansa sa World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
“The Philippines is a signatory of this convention, so we are obligated to adopt measures that educate and inform our countrymen about the perils of tobacco, especially our impressionable youth.” diin ng Manila solon.
Ani Abante, dapat ay mabahala ang mambabatas at iba pang policy maker sa ginagawang pagsusulong ng tobacco industry ng bisyo sa mga kabataan.
“The country’s score in the [Tobacco Industry Interference] Index is a wake up call for those of us who are committed to protect our youth from the evils of tobacco use. We have seen how difficult it is for smokers to kick this habit; napakahirap mag-quit ng smoking! That is why it is imperative that the government, through agencies like the National Youth Commission, spearhead an aggressive campaign that will discourage our youth from taking up smoking and vaping” ani Abante.
Batay sa TII Index nasa 60 ang Pilipinas ngayong 2023, mas mababa sa 59 noong 2022 at 58 noong 2021.
Salig naman sa WHO-FCTC, ang mga signatory states ay kailangan magpatupad ng price at tax measures upang mapababa ang demand sa tobacco.
Kasama rito ang sumusunod: (1) protection from exposure to tobacco smoke; (2) regulation of the contents of tobacco products; (3) regulation of tobacco product disclosures; (4) packaging and labelling of tobacco products; at (5) education, communication, training and public awareness. | ulat ni Kathleen Jean Forbes
