“Hindi ko nilalahat Senior Deputy Executive Secretary [Hubert Guevarra], but may mga kasama din kasi kayo talaga sa COP na known advocates of the tobacco industry. Siyempre, if it walks like a duck, smells like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is a duck”, said Senator Alan Peter Cayetano during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the Philippine delegation’s Dirty Ashtray award on February 21, 2024.
The statement of Senator Cayetano was in response to government representatives showcasing the watered-down Vape Regulation Law as a landmark legislation and insisting on a “balanced approach” to tackle tobacco control at the Tenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10).
The receipt of the Philippines’ 5th Dirty Ashtray award during the COP10 in Panama City prompted the Senate to conduct the inquiry. The award was given to the Philippines after blocking consensus, together with a small group of countries, for the establishment of an Expert Group that will be tasked to facilitate implementation of Articles 9 and 10 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
It was not the first time the Philippines received the notorious award that is being given by the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) to call out countries influenced by lobbying from the tobacco industry. The first Dirty Ashtray award conferred on the Philippines in COP4 in 2010 was due to the Philippine delegation’s opposition on the draft guidelines regulating the contents of tobacco products and requiring disclosure of tobacco products contents. This was followed by three Dirty Ashtray awards in COP9 in 2021 for attempting to block progress discussions in the eleventh hour.
“We commend the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee for exercising its oversight powers to promote public health, and express solidarity with it in promoting the health of Filipinos and of other nations in ending the scourge of tobacco. It is well within the purview of the Committee to review the conduct of public officials in enforcing, upholding and protecting our laws, in this instance, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which the Senate ratified in 2005,” said Ralph Degollacion, Managing Director of HealthJustice.
“Unfortunately, the position of the Philippines betrays the duty to work with other countries to end the tobacco epidemic and protect our health policies from tobacco industry interference. Wittingly or unwittingly, the Philippines played into the agenda of the tobacco industry in blocking the discussions on guidelines on the disclosure of contents and emissions of tobacco products. The delay in the consensus on these guidelines seriously puts at risk the health, not only of Filipinos, but of other nations battling the scourge of tobacco,” Degollacion added.
The FCTC requires, among others, State parties to “protect their public health policies related to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.”
At the Blue Ribbon Committee’s probe, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano further brought to light the Philippine delegates’ regulatory capture by the tobacco industry.
The hearing was led by Senator Pia Cayetano, as chairperson of the committee.
“The reality is, you either go in, let the experts know, if you are for or against, and the reality is, at this point in time, both in the law and the representations made, is [we are] pro-tobacco. I’m not accusing one person here. I’m accusing the whole government, including the past Congress, and hopefully we change that. If we follow the treaty, and follow the Constitution, we should amend this [Vape Regulation] law instead of pointing it out,” Senator Alan Peter Cayetano added.
The Philippine delegation to COP10 was led by Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevarra from the Office of the President, House Representative Rodante Marcoleta, and more than 30 other government officials, the largest among State Parties. Representative Marcoleta was one of the most ardent proponents of the Vape Regulation Law during the previous Congress. Proponents of the Vape Regulation Law claimed during the congressional deliberations that it will protect the youth from the harms of vape products.
HealthJustice also expressed dismay that the Philippine delegation failed to heed the call of the former senior officials of the Health and Education Departments urging them to tell the truth on the effect of the Vape Regulation Law. The call of the former senior officials was made in response to the growing vape use among the youth in the country. Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Guevara, however, touted the Vape Regulation Law as a measure that in fact safeguards minors from the dangers of vapes.
In its position paper submitted to the Blue Ribbon Committee, HealthJustice recommended adopting remedial measures to protect the country’s public health policies from tobacco industry interference. HealthJustice pushed for the designation of the DOH as the head of the Philippine delegation in future COP sessions, and the exclusion from the delegation those who further the interest of the tobacco industry.
Mariz Wee
Media Consultant, HealthJustice PH
]]>“We call on the Philippine delegation to COP10 of the WHO FCTC in Panama to affirm our commitments under the FCTC, and take the lead in pushing for, supporting, and promoting policies preventing the uptake of all recreational tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, to protect present and future generations from the devastating harms of tobacco use and nicotine addiction,” their joint statement said.
Former Health Department officials namely, Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan (DOH Secretary, 1995), Dr. Carmencita Reodica (DOH Secretary, 1996-1998), Dr. Manuel Dayrit (DOH Secretary, 2001-2005), Dr. Esperanza Cabral (DSWD Secretary 2005-2009 and DOH Secretary 2010), Dr. Paulyn Rosell Ubial (DOH Secretary, 2016-2017), Atty. Alexander Padilla (DOH Undersecretary, 2001-2009), Dr. Susan Mercado (DOH Undersecretary, 1998-2001), Dr. Madeleine Valera (DOH Undersecretary, 2012-2013); and former Education Department officials, Bro. Armin Luistro (DepEd Secretary, 2010-2016), and Atty. Alberto Muyot (Deped Undersecretary, 2010-2016) made the urgent appeal as the Philippine delegation participates in the COP10 in Panama.
They emphasized that they have, in the past, warned of the repercussions of watered down provisions of Republic Act No. 11900 or the Vape Regulation Law such as lowering age of access from 21 to 18 years old; delegating regulation to the Department of Trade and Industry rather than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and easing restrictions for vape flavors. In fact, Senator Pia Cayetano, at a Senate hearing, has also expressed her frustration over the continued proliferation of vapes among the youth.
The findings of the research done by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Global Tobacco Control revealed that vapes are flagrantly and widely sold and advertised within 100 meters in 78% of schools in the Philippines, despite the prohibition in RA 11900.
The 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey showed a growing use of vapes among Filipino teens with a 14.1% prevalence of vape-use among ages 13-15 (20.9% boys, and 7.5% girls), that translates to millions of young Filipinos.
Moreover, the former officials clamored for the delegates to be truthful about how our weak regulations against vapes has become a serious threat to public health.
“Transparency and accountability of its policy positions at COP 10 should be observed as these will impact domestic and global approaches in tobacco control. The delegation should speak rather than hide, whitewash, or disguise the truth of the serious threat to public health brought about by weak Philippine regulation on e-cigarettes.” the joint statement continued.
The COP10 will be held on February 5 to 10, 2024 in Panama. The COP is composed of signatories to the FCTC and convenes every two years with the objective to discuss international tobacco control policies, including regulations on e-cigarettes or vapes, and how these can be implemented at the national level.
The Convention Secretariat of the FCTC has warned Parties to be vigilant following reports that some “have been approached by the tobacco and other industry representatives to offer travel and technical support, including advisors.” The tobacco industry is expected to influence delegates to the COP 10, just as they have done in the past to weaken, undermine, or stop the adoption of strong regulations on tobacco and nicotine products.
Twice, in 2010 and 2021, during the COP4 and COP9 respectively, the Philippine delegation has unfortunately been merited the Dirty Ashtray award due to statements inclined to favor the tobacco industry and unnecessary interpellations that obstructed the agenda.
“Doing so [observing transparency] will convince other State Parties to adopt and support robust regulations on e-cigarettes. It will also send a strong message to the global community that we are not relinquishing our leadership in working with other State Parties in protecting health policies from the bullying tactics of the tobacco industry that only care for its profits at the expense of the health of the Filipino people,” the former officials concluded.
The joint statement aligns with the WHO’s position on the health dangers of vapes which contain nicotine, a highly addictive chemical, and generate other toxic substances that cause cancer and increase risk of heart and lung disease.
The DOH maintained that vapes are not a safer option contrary to what the tobacco industry wants the public to believe. The Health Department likewise expressed alarm that more and more young people are using vapes.
“Ang panawagan ng ating ahensya, ng ating kalihim na si Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, ay talagang itong vape ay hindi talaga kaaya-aya yan. The way it is being marketed, parang pinapalabas ba na ito ay safer, ito ay better. May mga tanong kasi na hindi naman talaga kasi ito yung ebidensya na nakikita namin sa Department of Health. Maaring ito ay ginagamit ng mga matatanda pero ang nakakabahala talaga is dumadami yung mga bata na gumagamit,” said DOH Asec. Albert Domingo.
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Mariz Wee
Media Consultant, HealthJustice PH
Room 209, 2/F Philippine Social Science Center (PSSC),
Commonwealth Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
HealthJustice called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to amplify their efforts to get rid of vapes enticing young people that continue to proliferate on the streets despite our regulations. The Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education (DepEd) should also help educate our youth that vapes are not a safe alternative nor is it an effective means to quit smoking cigarettes, HealthJustice added.
“We are alarmed that vapes are sold and used just anywhere. They remain easily accessible to children. Our government should commit into the New Year to heighten monitoring and strengthen enforcement of our laws that prohibit sale and promotion of vapes to children,” said Atty. Benedict Nisperos, legal consultant of HealthJustice.
HealthJustice and its partner, the Child Rights Network (CRN), also reiterated the World Health Organization’s (WHO) most recent demand for countries to take urgent action to control e-cigarettes or vapes in order to minimize harms to children’s health. HealthJustice echoed WHO’s concern that “e-cigarettes have been allowed on the open market and aggressively marketed to young people.”
“Even just a brief exposure to vape advertisements can lure young people to use vapes. We expect the government to strengthen its efforts this coming year to protect our children from falling prey to the deceptive tactics of tobacco and vape companies that promote vapes through online platforms utilizing social media influencers, animated characters, various flavors, and designs that appeal to the youth, ” said Mr. Rom Dongeto, Convenor of the Child Rights Network and Executive Director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD).
Under the Vape Law (Republic Act No. 11900), using vapes is prohibited in schools and recreational facilities where minors frequent. Sale of vape to minors aged 17 and below is also prohibited, as well as the sale and marketing of vapes within 100 meters of schools. The Vape Law also bans using marketing strategies and packaging designs that appeal to the youth, hence, fruity or candy-flavored vape juices must be phased-out.
In the Philippines e-cigarette or vape use prevalence among teens aged 13-15 is 14.1% (20.9% boys, and 7.5% girls), based on the last Global Youth Tobacco Survey in 2019.
According to the WHO, vapes contain nicotine that are highly addictive and those who use it are three times more likely to smoke cigarettes later in life. More importantly, using vapes (1) generates toxic substances, some of which cause cancer and increase risk of heart and lung disease; (2) impacts brain development of young people that leads to learning disorders; (3) affects development of a fetus in pregnant women; and (4) poses risk to bystanders who inhale seconhand aerosols.
Patricia Loren M. Reyes
Project Coordinator for Communications, HealthJustice
+639760085498
https://healthjustice.ph
]]>
This comes after the findings of the 2022 and 2023 Tobacco Industry Interference (TII) Index Report revealed that the tobacco industry’s tactics to interfere with public health policies and hamper the government’s tobacco control efforts keep worsening over the years.
“When you endanger our children’s health, you compromise our nation’s future. The tobacco industry has proven just how relentless they use their political and marketing machinery to assert their interests via interactions with the government. We need to stop tobacco companies from targeting children and youth, especially through online platforms, in the propagation of their deadly vapes and cigarettes,” said Mr. Rom Dongeto, Convenor of the Child Rights Network and Executive Director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development.
According to the 2022 and 2023 TII Index Reports, the Philippines’ score has consistently climbed at an upward trend year after year. This indicates the increasing influence of the tobacco industry and, in turn, shows how the government is failing to combat the interference.
The figures made leaps from 45 in 2017 to 54 in 2018 and 57 in 2019. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, scores rose to 54 in 2020 and 58 in 2021. By 2022, the country’s score was up another notch at 59 and moved up further to 60 in 2023.
The scoring measures the severity or frequency of incidents when the tobacco industry meddled into government affairs which include their active participation in Congress hearings to relax tobacco control measures and align it with their business agenda, as well as, their generous contributions to various LGUs in the guise of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, to name a few.
“The TII Index results explain how government offices are influenced in policy development and implementation by the tobacco industry. We have existing rules, yet we see tobacco and vape products proliferate to target children. The tobacco and vape industry have become insidious and aggressive at exploiting gaps in our laws. We should not be complicit to the tobacco industry in harming our children. We urge the government to act swiftly and decisively and implement our tobacco and vape control laws,” said Atty. Benedict Nisperos, legal consultant of HealthJustice.
Evidence of interference were gathered from publicly available and verifiable information from reliable news outlets and official websites for the period of January 2021 to June 2022 and July 2022 to March 2023. These were then validated by civil society organizations and public health advocates using the questionnaire score sheet provided by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA).
The results for the Philippines, unfortunately, accompany the worsening scores of 7 other countries in the 2023 Asian TII Index Report by SEATCA.
“Sadly, the Philippines ranked seventh after Japan (worst score), Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, and Lao PDR in failing to prevent and effectively address tobacco industry interference. Deteriorating scores were also noted for Maldives, Thailand, Pakistan, India, Cambodia, and Korea. Governments must triple their efforts to protect the bureaucracy from undue influence and interference of the tobacco industry. This is fundamental to achieve successful tobacco control and public health outcomes,” said Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of SEATCA.
The Philippines is a signatory to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the world’s first health treaty. The TII Index Report is an annual civil society-led assessment that gauges how effectively or poorly the Philippines is implementing WHO FCTC Article 5.3 and its Guidelines which particularly obliges all parties “to protect their tobacco control and public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.”
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Mariz Wee
Media Consultant, HealthJustice PH
]]>On 13 July 2021, the Supreme Court affirmed the authority of the Food and Drugs Administration
(FDA) in regulating tobacco products in the case of Department of Health v. Philippine Tobacco
Institute.1 On the other hand, both houses of Congress approved a bill which took away e-cigarettes
and heated tobacco products (HTPs) from the FDA’s jurisdiction.
On 25 July 2022, said bill lapsed into law and became Republic Act (RA) No. 11900 or the Vaporized
Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act (the “Vape Regulation Law”). These two events—polar opposites of each other—mark the state of the implementation of Article 5.3 in the Philippines from 2021 to the early part of 2022 and the constant battle that tobacco control advocates face.
This report also comes at an important period for policy reform and development nationwide. In
May 2022, the country elected a new President who had once been a proponent of the tobacco industry’s legislative interests in the Senate.
A homegrown politician from the “Solid North” and member of the tobacco-growing “Northern Bloc,” President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. sits as the Chief Executive with much uncertainty for tobacco control. However, the lapse of the aforesaid bill into the Vape Regulation Law, despite the series of vetoes that preceded
it for other enrolled bills, sends a signal that tobacco industry interference may grow stronger.
Based on the evidence gathered, this was indeed the case.
Public health in the Philippines suffered a setback with the enactment of the Vape Regulation Law, as
e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.
READ MORE: https://healthjustice.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PH-TII-Index-2022-1.pdf
]]>Economic recovery, adjusting to a post-pandemic environment and changes in political leadership usher in a time of both hope and uncertainty. This is the landscape in which the tobacco industry continues to aggressively pursue its goals, including on public governance.
The adroitness of Big Tobacco manifested itself in these particularly trying times. Its decades-old tactics for surviving and flourishing amid different crises—political, societal, legal, and reputational—are brazenly
updated. Hardships provided opportunities for tobacco companies to improve their standing and present themselves in a positive light and as part of the solution.
The tobacco companies still tried to portray themselves as the good samaritans. In the period
covered by this report, they have positioned themselves as partners in economic recovery and social development, as well as champions of justice and equal opportunities.
Their ways remain insidious: hobnobbing with political leaders, speaking out at public assemblies and getting involved in government projects at national and local levels, to weave their presence into the fabric of
community life.
Big Tobacco’s association with the government is particularly dangerous. This opens up pathways to diluting public health policies and influencing.
READ MORE: https://healthjustice.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PH-TII-Index-2023.pdf
]]>“We urge President Marcos Jr. to increase government investment in NCD prevention and control in order to achieve UHC. We can succeed at this by addressing the NCD risk factors such as smoking, alcohol use, and unhealthy diet, encouraging and providing Filipinos primary health care services, and deploying community health promoters,” said Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, former Health Secretary, and a member of the HPA.
The HPA further pressed on the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to address funding delays and hasten the delivery of UHC services that will reduce inequities and close the health care gap, especially for patients with NCDs or chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
“Health care is expensive and can drive poor patients deeper into poverty, more so for those living with NCDs who require long-term treatments. If the UHC law is effectively enforced the soonest possible time, it will greatly ease the financial burden to patients by allowing access to quality, yet, cost-effective health services,” said Karen Villanueva, President of the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations (PAPO), also a member of the HPA.
The HPA highlighted that NCDs accounts for 512,000 deaths or 70% of all deaths in the Philippines and its economic burden to the country is estimated at PHP 756.5 billion per year or equivalent to 4.8% of the country’s annual GDP, based on the 2019 report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Worldwide, 41 million people die from NCDs each year, which is 74% of all deaths, while the global economic toll of the five leading NCDs — cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer, diabetes, and mental health and neurological conditions — costs more than US$ 2 trillion every year, according to estimates by the NCD Alliance.
“Delays in the implementation of the Universal Health Care Law aggravates social injustice. Health should be an utmost priority as wellness is critical to nation-building. It is imperative to invest in health care to provide accessible and affordable quality care as these are vital in creating a resilient citizenry,” said Alyannah Lagasca, National Chairperson of Youth for Mental Health Coalition (Y4MH), an HPA member.
Lagasca continued, “To ensure that no one gets left behind, inclusion of NCD prevention and treatment interventions in the UHC benefit packages is a must. This could improve the help-seeking behavior of Filipinos and encourage individuals with lived mental health conditions to pursue treatment. We call on the urgent action of our government in implementing the UHC Law, as each Filipino deserves a right to health.”
The law, passed in 2019, provides that, upon automatic enrollment to PhilHealth’s National Health Insurance Program, UHC services expands to the entire population where every Filipino is eligible to “preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative” care.
Funding for the UHC program will be sourced from sin tax collections in adherence to Republic Act No. 10351 or the Sin Tax Law; 50% of the national government’s share from the income of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor); 40% of the charity fund from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO); and the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
In line with this, the HPA also joins the NCD Alliance in the Global Week for Action on NCDs which coincides with the United Nations High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Universal Health Coverage that will take place in New York, USA on the 21st of September. World leaders of member nations are expected to forge a unified stance to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
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Contact Persons :
Mariz Wee
Media Consultant, HPA
09988851080
]]>The Child Rights Network (CRN), Parents Against Vape (PAV), and HealthJustice also asked the DTI to coordinate with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and local government units in enforcing the sales and distribution ban of vapes in schools amid reports of rampant sale and marketing of vape and cigarettes.
Based on research findings by the John Hopkins Institute for Global Tobacco Control in January 2023, retailers of e-cigarettes or vape continue to sell and advertise within 100 meters in 78% of schools in the Philippines, despite the prohibition in RA 11900.
“The DTI needs the assistance of our education agencies and LGUs to take action against the selling of cigarettes and vapes located near school areas because these aim to lure students to start smoking. Our children are the vulnerable targets of these deliberate marketing ploys by tobacco companies. Our youth deserve to live healthy in an environment free from the dangers of nicotine addiction,” said Mr. Rom Dongeto, Convenor of Child Rights Network.
In the Philippines, 12.5% of Filipino adolescents aged 13 to 15 years used various tobacco products, while 14.1% used vapes, based on the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS).
E-cigarettes, commonly referred to as vapes, contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance that impairs brain development of infants, children and young adults, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Vapes also contain other toxic substances that are not safe for the user and those exposed to second-hand aerosol emissions. The WHO added, while long-term impacts are yet to be determined, some studies suggest vape use increases risk for heart and lung diseases.
“We, as parents, are counting on the DTI to fulfill their mandate as lead implementing agency. Their heightened operations against vape and cigarette vendors and distributors who violate the law must not waver. We also encourage other parents to educate our children against the health hazards of vaping so they are guided to stay away from this addictive vice,” said Imelda Gocotano, Lead Convenor of Parents Against Vape.
The groups also called on local chief executives to religiously implement their anti-smoking and anti-vaping ordinances; and to hold accountable all violators who sell to minors or promote vaping near schools.
“We do not want our students to believe the fraudulent and misleading claims of cigarette and vape distributors and retailers who take advantage of the opportunity with the opening of classes. LGUs can help by actively monitoring schools and youth facilities within their jurisdiction,” said Atty. Benedict Nisperos, legal consultant of HealthJustice.
Under RA 11900 and EO 106, series of 2020,vaping is absolutely prohibited in campuses, playgrounds and in facilities where minors frequent. Also, under these laws, the sale promotion, advertising, and product demonstration of vapes, heated tobacco products, and Novel Tobacco Products within one hundred (100) meters from any point of the perimeter of a school, playground or other facility frequented particularly by minors are prohibited
A person caught vaping in prohibited locations like centers of youth activity, including schools, can be slapped with a fine of P5,000 for the first offense, and up to P20,000 for the third offense. While distributors or retailers caught violating the sales and distribution ban will pay a fine of up to P10,000 or face imprisonment of up to 30 days.
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]]>Nangangamba ang grupong Arugaan na isang banta sa kalusugan ng mga ina, sanggol, at mga bata ang mga nakabinbing panukala na Corporate Social Responsibility o CSR Act sa Kongreso, lalo’t ipinigadiriwang ang National Breastfeeding Awareness Month ngayong Agosto.
Ang grupong Arugaan ay pinangungunahan ng mga ina na ipinaglalaban ang breastfeeding o pagpapasuso ng mga kababaihan para sa kanilang mga sanggol. Kaya naman kinundena nila ang House Bill No. 451 o ang Corporate Social Responsibility Act, gayundin ang bersyon ng Senado na Senate Bill No. 2355.
Anila, pinapayagan ng mga panukalang ito ang mga pribadong kumpanya gaya ng commercial milk formula na magsagawa ng mapanlinlang na charity programs na maituturing na marketing at promotional activities sa mga komunidad kung saan magmimistulang marketing agent ang mga LGU.
Babanggain pa ng CSR bill ang ating Milk Code dahil tinatanggal nito ang pagbabawal sa formula milk bilang donasyon sa mga LGU.
Giit pa ng grupo, minamanipula nito ang mga magulang na maniwala sa kasinungalingang higit na masustansya at isang brain booster ang formula milk kaysa sa breastmilk o gatas ng ina. Ang mga formula milk na binibigay bilang donasyon sa mga LGU ay magtutulak sa mga magulang na umasa at bumili pa nito.
“Gagawing lehitimo ng CSR bill ang panghihimasok ng mga korporasyon sa mga komunidad at obligado ang lokal na pamahalaan na tulungan ang kanilang mga aktibidad sa ngalan ng sustainable development. Pero paano natin masasabing sustainable development ito kung sinasamantala lang nito ang likas na yaman ng kalikasan at buhay ng tao kapalit ng kapirasong donasyon,” paliwanag ni Ma. Ines Av. Fernandez, co-founder ng Arugaan.
Ang bersyon ng Kamara ng CSR bill ay inaprubahan na ng plenaryo nitong nakaraang Mayo, habang nakabinbin pa sa komite ang bersyon ng Senado.
Samantala, sinaludo ng Arugaan ang mga pamilyang nagsisikap magpasuso bilang mahalagang depensa ng parehong ina at sanggol kontra noncommunicable diseases o NCDs, bukod sa iba pang mga sakit at impeksyon.
Batay sa datos mula sa NCD Alliance, ang pagpapasuso sa unang bahagi ng buhay ng sanggol ay magpapababa sa tiyansa ng NCD gaya ng obesity at type 2 diabetes sa kanilang pagtanda.
Para naman sa ina, ang pagpapasuso ay nagbabawas sa panganib ng sakit sa puso at breast o ovarian cancer. Sa kada taon na magpasuso ang isang babae, bumababa nang 6% ang tiyansa nitong magkaroon ng breast cancer.
“Nais nating protektahan, isulong, at suportahan ng mga pamilya ang pagpapasuso nang sa gayon makamit ng isang ina at kanyang anak ang pangmatagalang benepisyo laban sa NCDs. Higit sa lahat, ang gatas ng ina pa rin ang pinakamainam at walang kapantay sa pagbibigay nutrisyon at panangga sa sakit para sa mga sanggol lalo na sa unang anim na buwan hanggang dalawalang taon pataas,” sabi ni Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, dating kalihim ng Department of Health.
Ayon sa 2022 Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), nasa 41% lamang ng mga batang edad 0 hanggang 5 buwan ang exclusively breastfed o tanging pinapasuso.
Sa kabilang banda, ang taunang benta ng inangkat na formula milk sa Pilipinas ay tinatayang nasa US$830 million o P41.95 billion mula sa bulsa ng mga pamilyang Pilipino, batay sa pag-aaral na “Breastfeeding, First-Food Systems and Corporate Power” ni Phil Baker et al, nitong 2021.
Dagdag pa rito, nakasaad sa Green Feeding Tool na inilunsad ni Australian National University economist Professor Julie Smith noong 2022, sa kada kilo ng paggawa ng processed milk, nagiiwan ito ng carbon foot print dulot ng 2.4 – 8.0 kilo ng greenhouse gas emissions, at ng water foot print mula sa 5,000 litro ng nasasayang na tubig.
Kaya giit ng Arugaan, ang pagpapasuso ay zero waste. Ang pagpapasuso ay nakakapigil ng climate change. Ang breastmilk ay isang renewable resource na likas sa mga ina para siguruhin ang kalusugan ng susunod na henerasyon at ang food security ng bansa. Ang CSR bill ay magsisilbing hadlang sa mga ina na makalikha ng superfood at natural na gamot para sa mga bata.
-END-
Contact person :
Mariz Wee
Media Consultant
0998-885-1080
]]>Tobacco: Threat to the Environment
Tobacco products damage the environment at every stage of their lifecycle:
Cultivation: Clearing lands and burning plant residues lead to deforestation while agrochemicals/pesticides pollute waterways and poison fishes
Curing: Burning firewood to cure leaves causes deforestation and water scarcity.
Processing & Manufacturing:Processes involve use of toxic chemicals, and emission of greenhouse gases & other waste.
Distribution: Greenhouse gases are emitted during transport.
Use: Toxic residue from tobacco smoke lingers in the environment (indoor particulate matter concentrations are 10x higher than diesel car exhausts). Cigarettes are also the most common cause of accidental fires and toxic third hand smoke materials pollute the environment.
Disposal:
Waste Management
Marine Pollution
Read more here: https://healthjustice.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Customized-Fact-Sheet-PH.pdf
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