Tobacco industry accused of delaying passage of picture-based health warning on cigarette packs

Reminiscent of the House deliberation on the Cheaper Medicines bill, the health alliance against smoking, in a statement today says, some legislators are trying to delay the passage of the public health legislation on tobacco regulation by using the quorum issue during the committee hearing Tuesday.

Ifugao Rep. Solomon R. Chungalao threatened to question the quorum of the meeting of the Committee on Health Tuesday even before Committee Chair Arthur Pingoy has called the meeting to order. Rep. Chugalao said he will move for the adjournment of the meeting unless the committee defers the deliberation on House Bill 3364, or the Picture-Based Health Warning Bill. His motion was seconded by APEC Party list Rep. Edgar Valdez.

“We were shocked by the manner by which the tobacco industry has used their powers to block the passage of this public health measure that aims to improve the lives and health of the Filipinos. We were further stunned by the fact that Rep. Chungalao left the committee meeting as soon as he got his wish.,” said Dr. Maricar Limpin, Executive Director of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance-Philippines (FCAP).

According to Limpin, the motion was upheld by the committee and successfully delayed the committee deliberation of the bill until next week.

“We understand the importance of the other health bills in the agenda. But there seems to be a double standard when the Picture-Based Health Warning Bill was singled out. A bigger hand must be working on these as the tobacco industry has been doing everything in their powers to intervene, even in other countries,” Limpin added.

Voice of the voiceless

FCAP said the members of the Philippine Laryngectomee Club, those who lost their vocal chords due to smoking and passive smoking came and were ready to speak, but the tobacco industry will not give them a chance.

“It’s terrible, very unfair. What is the use of prolonging the deliberation of the bill? We’re only asking for appropriating a portion of the cigarette packs to print the graphic and more real dangers of smoking,” said Elizabeth Pomer, a member of the Stroke Survivors Society, herself a former smoker until she suffered a stroke in 1999.

Plot thickens

The incident in Tuesday’s committee hearing further thickened when APEC Rep. Valdez reprimanded Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Program Manager of Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) and warned he will block the passage of the bill.

According to Dorotheo, he called the attention of Rep. Valdez earlier, before the committee meeting started because the legislator was smoking inside the Mitra building, in the House of Representatives, the area being a non-smoking by law.

“The legislator was definitely offended by my action and used the bill to exact revenge. This was surely not a public service. The Filipino people should learn from this experience, especially when they elect their representatives to the honorable halls of Congress,” said Dorotheo.

Dorotheo said Article 5.3 of the international public health treaty law, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), of which the Philippines is a signatory, warns governments to be wary of tobacco industry’s vested interest to undermine health policies every step of the way.

“The industry’s lobbying and corruption done in other countries reflect the character of the legislators who will speak for the tobacco industry,” added Dorotheo.

Dorotheo, Limpin and Pomer were among the resource persons in the committee hearing yesterday.

Officials of the Department of Health also attended to testify on the impact on public health of tobacco-related diseases. The DOH published a full page ad yesterday in relation to this bill.

Rep. Arthur Pingoy, Chair of the Committee on Health scheduled the next meeting on May 21, Wednesday. (end)