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DOH: Graphic health warning law bans selling cigarettes per stick

By RIE TAKUMI, GMA News

Sari-sari stores and street vendors will soon have to sell cigarettes by the pack or risk breaking the law, Health Sec. Paulyn Jean Rosell Ubial said on Friday.

Republic Act 10643 or the Graphic Health Warning Law will be fully implemented on November 4, enjoining manufacturers and retailers to ensure that all cigarette packs have images of the effects of tobacco use and exposure to second hand smoke.

Selling cigarettes per stick is expected to defeat the purpose of the graphic health warning law because the smoker will not see the gory illustrations printed on the cigarette packs.

The law mandates the printing of physical manifestations of diseases and disorders on cigarette packs.

"In the law, they are not supposed to sell the tobacco product in sticks. They're only allowed to sell tobacco products in packages so that each and every consumer or client who buys the tobacco products see the warnings," Ubial said.

 

 

Local government units and the Metro Manila Development Authority will be tapped to help enforce the law at the street or community level and prevent sale per stick of cigarettes.

 

 

Emer Rojas, New Voice Association of the Philippines founder, said a bill that would amend Republic Act No. 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 and ban the sale of cigarettes per stick is now under consideration.

 

 

Alternatives are also being considered to allow street vendors and small stores a possible leeway for per-stick sales.

"Dala namin ang innovative at proposed bills that we want to propose in conference kagaya ng paglalagay ng poster sa point of sale dahil hindi nga nila makita yung graphic health warning," Rojas, a lung cancer survivor, said.

"Maari sigurong i-expand natin ang effect ng graphic health warning by placing posters sa mga point of sale, sa mga sari-sari store, siguro pati yung takatak boys lagyan ng sticker yung mga taktak o kaya bigyan sila ng t-shirt na may graphic health warning," he added.

An impact assessment will take place two years from now to assess the efficacy of the GHW law.

Meanwhile, the DOH and other stakeholders will discuss if vapes or e-cigarettes should also bear GHWs.

The DOH also plans to redesign cigarette packaging entirely by switching to pre-approved designs to make tobacco look more unappealing to smokers.

 

 

"It has been proven in other countries that plain packaging, wala nang kulay- and we will dictate the size and the font of the brand- tapos puti na lahat, wala nang kulay, is more effective than actually increasing the size of the graphic health warning," Ubial said.

For now, there is no resistance from tobacco companies on the GHW as President Rodrigo Duterte ordered its enforcement through the executive and not the legislative side of government.

"It's between the president and the members of the executive branch of government kasi hindi naman legislators which needs to have public hearing and all that," Ubial said.

"Dun nagiimput yung tobacco industry when it's a legislation. But it's an executive order so it's a directive of the president to the executive branch. Anong ile-legal nila? That's the order of the president to the executive branch," she added.

Citing various studies, Ubial believes the effective implementation of the GHW will drive down the number of reported smokers in the Philippines.

"There are studies worldwide that graphic warnings are effective in reducing the prevalence of tobacco and making people stop or quit smoking," Ubial said.

A report by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance states that the Philippines has the second highest number of smokers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with 17,300,000 active smokers as of 2014. —NB, GMA News
 

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