MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Medical Association (PMA), an organization that supports the "Smoke Free Philippines" campaign, appealed to members of entertainment industry to be more responsible especially when it comes to the issue of smoking.

Superstar Nora Aunor

The appeal came after the controversial cover of superstar Nora Aunor for the October issue of Yes magazine, where she posed holding a cigarette, drew criticisms.

In a press release, PMA said that people from show business, particularly the stars, should be more sensitive and aware of mass media's influence on the public, particularly the youth.

“We are appealing to the editors, owners of magazines and newspapers, producers of movies and television shows including their valued advertisers, actors, models and other popular persons whom our young minds look up to as their role model to be more responsible and sensitive to the welfare of our people most especially the youth," said Dr. Elizabeth Ifurung- Gonzales, President of the Makati Medical Society (MkMS).

"Smoking kills, second and even third hand smoke equally kills people. Countless of sufferings and deaths has been positively attributed to tobacco smoking which is a life threatening form of an addiction. You all have the power and facilities in your hands to greatly influence the attitude and behavior of the Filipino youth, please do not direct them towards tobacco addiction. This will surely cause them and their love ones enormous sufferings and ultimately will lead to their untimely deaths due to various gruesome maladies caused by smoking," she added.

Gonzales also criticized the magazine’s editor, Joan Maglipon, who said that the cover "best captures the iconic star as she is today." Maglipon had said that the magazine supports the "Smoke Free Philippines" campaign.

For Gonzales, the photo encourages smoking and endangers the lives of the youth.

“This is not about censorship or freedom to express ones art and culture. The issue at hand is basically about life and death. Numerous scientific evidences worldwide confirm the clear and present danger to life of tobacco smoke. Let me remind our friends in the arts that your freedom to self expression stops where the right to life of an individual person begins,” Ifurung-Gonzales said.