THE
l
THURSDAY I DECEMBER 5,2OI9
16 M Pinoys still smoke despite tobacco crackdown
By EDU PUNAY
At least 16 million Filipinos
have continued smoking ciga-
rettes despite the crackdown
on tobecco products amid
concern over their harmful
effects on health, governrnent
data showed.
Records of the Philippine
Statistics AuthoriW and Deoart-
ment of Health ievealed'that
14.7 percent of the country's
108 milhon population or 15.9
million Filipino smokers have
maintained their habit desnite
the campaign agairut smoking.
The same data, submitted to
the House of Representatives
for dpliberations'on proposed
'4 news
measuies seeking rrgulation of cent of the 1.1billion smokers ular tobacco. This is supported
e-cigarettes and vaping prod- in the world live in low- and
by data from the Edrbpean
ucts, also showed that 1.2 mil-middle-income countries like
iommission which found that
lion or 75 percent of smokersin .the Philippines," Gatchalian. 61 percent of those who start
the counry are planning to quitsaid yest6rday. usiirg e-cigarettes do it to stop
tobacco smoking. He saidtheywould consult smo[ine,the stressed.
valenzuela city Rep. weslie with experts ii1 the next hear- Gatcfiatan bared that there
Gatchalian, chair of, the com- ing on proposed regulation are about 800,000 users of
mittee on trade and industry ' on electronic nicotine delivery ENDS in the countrv and the
has expressed concern over system (ENDS) products set number continualiv erows
cigarette smoking that report- next Juesday, Dec. 10, to de- since the introduction"of the
edly kills eight rnitlion peopte te'rmiie wh6ther e-cigarettei products to the local market
daily among the 1.1 billion and vapes could help iddress i0years ago.
smokers worldwide. or reduce tobacco hirm. i{e poi-nted out that the
__
"Acco_rding to theW.orld "This is where ENDS or ENDS'global market had
Health Organization, sirok- FfTPs (heated tobacco prod- qrown b"v 1.200 oercent over
ing cigaretles is the single ucts) can play an impdrtant ihe last.iio.v".i to over $26
greatest preventable cause role. It allegedly provides a billion this year, but remains a
of death in the world today. Iess harmfuI ch6ic'e for those small markl,tpompared to the
unJortunately, around 80 per- who wish to quit smoking reg, $683.4billion lgarirtte industry.
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