Higher cost of cigarettes is the immediate deterrent. “Kapag
mahal, ang sigarilyo, mas mapipigilan sa pagyoyosi ang kabataang Pilipino.”
This was stressed by the National Youth Commission (NYC)
today in reaction to the claims of Chita Herce, spokesperson of Philip Morris
Fortune Tobacco Corporation Inc. (PMFTC), the top tobacco manufacturer in the
country, that education and not additional taxes will prevent young people from
smoking.
Education is vital in curbing youth smoking but it must be
reinforced by mechanisms that will make
tobacco inaccessible, NYC Chairperson Leon Flores said. For the past years, the
dangers of tobacco smoking have been taught in schools and have been part of wellness
campaigns. However, the percentage of youth smokers continues to increase
despite the education drive as well as the advertisement ban on tobacco
products.
According to the 2007 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS),
69.6% young people had been taught in class during the past year about the
dangers of smoking. Moreover, 69.3% had
been taught in class the effects of tobacco use. These numbers did not have any
effect in decreasing smoking prevalence among the youth. In 2011, already 2 out
of 5 teens aged 13-15 smoked.
The Philippines
has some of the cheapest cigarettes in Asia
and one of the cheapest cigarettes in the world. Parallel to these data are the
alarming smoking rates in the country: The Philippines ranks 9th in the adult
male population and 16th in the adult female smoking population in the world.
NYC Commissioner Perci Cendaña said that raising taxes right
now is the most viable option to decrease the number of young smokers. “Kapag
nagtaas ng presyo ang sigarilyo, maraming kabataan ang hindi na maninigarilyo.”
The recent study by the University of the Philippines Communication Research
Society with the support of Health Justice supports this claim. According to
it, that 60% of the sample population will quit smoking if cigarettes will be priced
at 5 pesos per stick.
NYC as the voice and advocate of the youth calls on the
immediate passage of House Bill 5727 that will restructure the excise tax on
tobacco and alcohol. The Commission firmly stands that we must maximize all
means to protect the health and wellness of our nation’s youth.(NYC Press release)
