Tobacco industry cautions vs graphic health warnings

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) cautioned Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral against her plan to issue an administrative order to compel local cigarette manufacturers to put picture-based warnings on every cigarette pack, saying this would violate a law that regulates the local tobacco industry.

PTI president Rodolfo Salanga reminded Cabral that Sec. 13(g) of Republic Act 9211 (RA 9211), otherwise known as the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, states that “no other printed warnings, except the health warning and the message required shall be placed on cigarette packages.”

Salanga said that any regulation or administrative order that runs counter to this provision would amount to a violation of RA 9211.

 “The law is very clear that no other health warnings must be placed on every cigarette pack except the textual warnings provided under RA 9211,” Salanga said. “In fact, if we violate this provision, we can be subjected to fines — even imprisoned.”

Salanga also reminded Cabral that the DOH was present the whole time when the law was being deliberated on in Congress. “Why didn’t they object to this provision when senators and congressmen were drafting the law that would regulate the tobacco industry? In fact, the DOH acts as vice-chairman of the inter-agency committee - Tobacco (IAC-T) which formulated the implementing regulations for RA 9211,” added Salanga.

The IAC-T was created under RA 9211 to administer and implement the provisions of the said law. It is an 11 member body composed of nine government agencies, a representative from the tobacco industry, and a representative from a nongovernment organization involved in public health promotion.

“The IAC-T was the proper venue for the DOH to raise its concerns on health warnings,” Salanga said.

It was reported earlier that a group of lawyers are pressing Cabral to sign an administrative order that would enforce on cigarette packaging the use of picture-based health warnings depicting diseases that are related to tobacco use.