Philippines: Health Department signs deal with university to revive anti-smoking policy

The Ateneo School of Government (ASOG) and the Department of Health Health Promotion Bureau (DOH HPB) have signed an agreement to intensify their joint efforts in tobacco prevention and control in the Philippines.

Tobacco use is a major public health problem in the Philippines, killing an estimated 112,000 people annually.[1]

Tobacco Control in the Philippines

The Philippines ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on June 6, 2005. In the years that followed, the country adopted several measures to reduce smoking: tax increases, graphic health warnings, smoking bans in public places, advertising restrictions, information campaigns, mobilization of stakeholders including at the local level, etc. The Philippines also distinguished itself during the 2010s by its efforts to reduce tobacco industry interference in public policies.[2]

In 2021, the country recorded positive results with a prevalence of 19.5% of tobacco use and cigarette consumption among Filipinos aged 15 years and above. Similarly, a reduction in exposure to second-hand smoke was observed as well as an increase in quit attempts.[3]

However, some provisions were incomplete, particularly in terms of the smoking ban, where smoking rooms remain permitted. The strengthening of this measure, as well as the introduction of plain packaging planned for 2019, were however blocked by the lobby deployed by tobacco manufacturers. In recent years, the country has therefore been experiencing a deadlock in the fight against tobacco.[4]

Supporting a revival of tobacco control

It is in this perspective that the agreement concluded between the Ateneo School of Government and the Health Promotion Office of the Ministry of Health is included.

The Ateneo School of Government (ASOG) is an academic institution affiliated with the Ateneo de Manila University, located in the Philippines. It focuses on training the country's public sector elites and promoting good governance through teaching, research, and skills development programs.

The agreement aims to support the National Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategy 2030 (NTPCS 2030) through policy research and training.[5] The project also involves the non-governmental organization Vital Strategies, which supports evidence-based public policies to reduce preventable tobacco-related deaths.

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[1] Tobacco free kids, Tobacco consumption, Tobacco free kids, published in 2023, accessed July 5, 2024

[2] Tobacco Control Laws, Summary, Tobacco control laws, published in 2022, accessed on July 5, 2024

[3]Richa Noriega, Percentage of Filipinos who smoke, use tobacco decreases to 19.5% —survey, GMA News Online, Published December 6, 2022, Accessed July 5, 2024

[4] Tobacco Free Generation, Arguments for the introduction of plain packaging in the Philippines, GST, published September 11, 2023, accessed July 3, 2024

[5] Ateneo de Manila, ASOG signs MOU with DOH to strengthen collaborative efforts on tobacco control, Ateneo de Manila, published July 2, 2024, accessed July 3, 2024

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