Press Release
April 2, 2008

PIMENTEL FILES BILL ON PICTURE-BASED WARNINGS ON HAZARDS OF TOBACCO SMOKING

Cigarette manufacturers will soon be required to print on the packages of their products colored pictures to warn the people of the HAZARDS of tobacco smoking to human health.

This requirement is proposed under Senate Bill 2147, filed by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban), to protect consumers from trade malpractices and from substandard and dangerous products.

"This bill seeks to effectively instill health consciousness through picture-based health warnings on tobacco products," Pimentel said.

"The use of prominent, colored and graphic picture-based warnings is a very effective means of conveying to the public in general and to smokers in particular, the hazards and ill-effects of tobacco use, including those associated with second-hand smoke."

According to the author, these warnings will also dissuade children and teenagers from smoking cigarettes and make them aware of its harmful effects.

Pimentel stressed the need to strengthen the anti-smoking drive in view of findings of a recent World Health Organization-Global Youth Tobacco Survey that 27 percent of Filipino teenagers aged 13-15 smoke cigarettes. This reflects an increase by 30 percent in the number of youth smokers over the past two years.

Young people are less likely to smoke if they are aware of the real dangers of smoking and if the appeal of glamour associated with the cigarette pack is removed, the senator said.

"By convincing the millions of impoverished Filipinos, who form the bulk of the smoking population, to stop the use of tobacco, they will be able to channel their meager earnings to basic necessities, such as food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care," Pimentel said.

The bill also seeks to remove signs or terms or any other direct or indirect means in the cigarette packages that create false impressions about the health effects of tobacco products, including but not limited to misleading or deceptive descriptions like "low tar," "light," "mild" or similar terms.

Under the bill, "picture-based health warnings" means warning labels that consist of a photographic picture on health dangers or other problems related to tobacco use or exposure to tobacco smoke and an accompanying textual warning that is related to the picture, as issued by the Department of Health.

To ensure the effective implementation of the Picture-Based Health Warning Act and to prevent the tobacco industry from utilizing the other arms of government to frustrate this effort on tobacco control, the DOH is given the sole authority to administer and enforce the provisions of this legislation and the concurrent powers to issue the necessary rules and regulations, including the imposition of fines on violators, the issuance of subpoenas and the confiscation of non-complaint tobacco packages.

The bill prescribes penalties in the form of fines and imprisonment for manufacturers, importers, exporters and distributors of tobacco products, as well as their agents/representatives for failure to comply with this proposed law.

Violators will be slapped a fine of not more than P1 million for the first offense, P5 million for the second offense and P20 million or imprisonment of not more than one year, or both at the discretion of the court, for the third offense. Likewise the business permits and licenses of the erring entities or establishments shall be revoked or cancelled.

"This pro-poor bill will eventually result in more savings, increased productivity, additional money for health and education, less sickness and less health costs for the citizenry," Pimentel said.

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