Anti-smoking bill to pass despite Senate reshuffle?
By Aries Rufo, Newsbreak | 12/11/2008 4:02 PM
Printer-friendly version | 
Send to friend | 
Share your views
A controversial but overdue anti-smoking measure seeking to require tobacco products to bear pictorial health warnings is expected to be approved by the Senate despite a change in health committee chairmanships.
The passage of the graphic health warning bill is already considered overdue in the Philippines. The country is a signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which seeks the adoption by September this year of effective health warnings on tobacco products.
Senate bill 2377, entitled “An Act to Effectively Instill Health Consciousness Through Picture-Based Warning on Tobacco Products,” was on second reading when a leadership change was pulled off by a group of senators. A bill on second reading means legislators are deliberating on it and amendments are being introduced.
The Senate coup, which replaced Manuel Villar as Senate president, triggered changes in committee chairmanships. Reshuffles normally result in delays in the passage of bills, as new committee chairs prioritize other bills and archive the pet measures of previous chairs.
Among those affected was the chairmanship in the health committee, which was previously held by Senator Pia Cayetano. It is now held by Senator Loren Legarda.
Under Cayetano’s chairmanship and backed by strong lobbying by anti-tobacco groups, SB 2377 underwent two committee hearings and two technical working group (TWG) meetings.
A health and fitness buff, Cayetano took on the passage of measure as a personal advocacy. Using a charm offensive with her colleagues, she pushed for the passage of SB 2377, which encountered little resistance among senators, including the smokers.
Already in the amendments phase, the bill was considered to have greater success of being passed in the Senate, unlike in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers from the tobacco-producing Ilocano provinces are intent on killing the measure.
The counterpart bill in the House, principally authored by Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza, has been referred back to the committee following a hotly debated TWG meeting. Lawmakers, led by the Ilocos bloc that normally do not attend such meetings, came in full force to oppose the bill.
The Ilocos bloc, led by Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson, argued that the pictorial health warning bill would kill the tobacco industry in the Ilocos region. The National Tobacco Administration under the Department of Agriculture says that 57,398 farmers are directly involved in tobacco farming. A total of 1.93 million Filipinos are reportedly dependent on the tobacco industry.
Marvie Felipe, Cayetano’s legislative staff, said that Cayetano had written Legarda to ensure that the bill would not be unnecessarily archived. Felipe said Cayetano also personally followed up the letter with Legarda and was assured by the latter that the bill would be a priority.
We sought to ask Legarda’s side but she was unavailable for comment.
The introduction of pictorial health warning is seen as a major breakthrough in the campaign against smoking, with surveys and studies showing that it would be more effective than text warning.
At present, text warnings are found in cigarette packs, but studies have shown that it barely deterred smokers from quitting the habit or decreased consumption, or prevented new smokers.
A Canadian study showed that 44 percent of those surveyed said the pictorial warning “increased their motivation to quit smoking.” On one or more occasions, 21 percent of the respondents said they “have been tempted to have a cigarette but decided not to because of the new warning.”
More than 40 countries have reportedly adopted picture-based health warnings in tobacco products.
Dr. Maricar Limpin, executive director of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines, said the country’s failure to comply with its FCTC obligation should be a cause for embarrassment.
“This shows we are signing treaties we cannot comply with and shows that government is not serious in protecting the health of its citizens,” she said. (Newsbreak)
