HealthJustice aims to bridge the gap between health and law to empower Filipinos to make healthy choices. The founding members of HealthJustice include doctors, lawyers, and economists who have been recognized for their services in both the private and public sector. Armed with the wealth of experience in promoting policy change in the fields of health, environment, and human rights, HealthJustice serves as a vehicle for Filipinos to be free from health risks through appropriate health policies.
They envision HealthJustice to serve as a vehicle for Filipinos to be free from health risks that could be prevented through appropriate health policies.
We asked them, quotMagkano ang halaga ng sigarilyo per stick na magpapatigil sa iyo sa pagbili ng sigarilyo? (How much is the cigarette price per stick that will make you stop buying cigarettes?), and a majority of them said 5 pesos or higher, explains UP-CRS spokesperson Princess Ubongen, a fourth year student at the UP College of Mass Communication, speaking in behalf of the 45 UP students who conducted the survey.
(Read more)The key message of the United Nations Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) was clear:Governments should educate people and encourage healthier options.These were the words of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as he spoke at the gathering of the worlds leaders in New York. Calling it a landmark meeting, Ban began his speech saying Three out of every five people on earth die from the diseases that we gather here to address.
(Read more)They will only stop smoking if cigarette prices reach Php5 or more per stick. Otherwise, they won’t kick the habit. The ‘they’ here refers to students who are in public high schools and under 19 years of age. They may have limited ‘baon’ but they can still afford to buy the country’s high-priced cigarette brands.
Early this month, University of the Philippines students and Health Justice Philippines conducted a quick survey of 435 students who are currently smoking and located in the eight most populated public high schools in Quezon City. Survey results confirm that making tobacco less affordable is the most effective way to reduce consumption and make more users quit, particularly those who are young and belong to the low-income families.
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Evading the health issue
Tobacco companies cram to evade the liability to pay up for health risks
Just when a Philippine president is serious about protecting the health of his citizens, tobacco companies are up-on-their-toes again using flawed arguments to discourage government from adopting measures to invest in people’s health by using revenues that will be derived from tobacco tax increases.
In a spat of statements released to the press, tobacco industry’s public relations armies choose even the weakest arguments to dismiss the move of government to correct the problems of our tobacco tax system. Arguments such as hurting tobacco farmers’ feelings, opening doors for illicit trade, and loss of livelihoods to millions of Filipinos have repeatedly been used to take attention away from the real issue why taxes should be increased.
(Read more)Law is a necessary element required to put public health policy into effect. Around the world, legislative measures exist to set standards for tobacco control, safe food, clean air, etc but since these measures do not exist in the Philippines, Filipinos are unnecessarily exposed to certain health risks that have already been eliminated or reduced in other countries through simple yet effective regulation and proper enforcement of laws.
HealthJustice brings together professionals from the relevant fields of science, medicine, economics, and law to create powerful tools for policy change.