Tobacco smoking in the Philippines affects a sizable minority of the population. According to the 2015 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) conducted under the auspices of the Philippines' Department of Health, Philippine Statistics Authority, the World Health Organization, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23.8 percent of the adult population were "current tobacco smokers". This figures represented 16.6 million of 69 million adult Filipinos.
In 2013, the Philippines had one of the highest smoking rates in Asia and some of the lowest cigarette prices. It is home to several major cigarette and cigar manufacturers, including one owned by Philip Morris International. In 2006, the World Health Organization estimated that 10 Filipinos die every hour due to cancer, stroke, lung and heart diseases brought on by cigarette smoking.
The Philippines is a party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This caused concern for the World Health Organization when the Philippines hosted one of the world's largest tobacco trade shows, ProTobEx Asia, in 2012 and 2013.
History
Tobacco was introduced in the Philippines in the late 16th century during the era of Spanish colonization when the Augustinians brought cigar tobacco seeds to the colony for cultivation. In 1686, William Dampier visited Mindanao and observed that smoking was a widespread custom. It had also become an article of foreign trade with the Dutch from Tidore and Ternate buying rice, beeswax and tobacco from the Spanish colony.
Tobacco monopoly
The tobacco monopoly in the Philippine islands during the Spanish era was established by Governor-General José Basco y Vargas on March 1, 1782 with the aim of increasing government revenue. Spearheaded by the Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País (Economic Societies of Friends of the Country), tobacco was cultivated under strict government control confined to the Cagayan Valley, the Ilocos provinces, Nueva Ecija and Marinduque. The tobacco farmers were given quotas each year and the entire crop was then bought by the government. The tobacco leaves were then brought to Manila and made into cigars and cigarettes in government-owned factories, later to be shipped out for export. Tobacco became a major commodity in the galleon trade.
The tobacco monopoly made the colony self-sustaining and profit-earning. In 1808, the government realized a net profit of P500,000.00. These profits increased in subsequent years, reaching $3,000,000 in 1881. As a consequence of the monopoly, the Philippines became the biggest tobacco-producing country in Asia. However, it led to abuses by government officials who wanted to enrich themselves. The farmers abhorred the crop as they were at the mercy of government agents who cheated on its price, and they did not have the liberty to raise other crops for themselves and their families. The monopoly also encouraged bribery and smuggling due to the desire to evade strict government regulations. The tobacco monopoly was abolished in 1882.
Legislation
Republic Act No. 9211, otherwise known as the "Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003", makes it unlawful for any person under the age of 18 years to purchase, sell or smoke tobacco products. Yet a survey conducted by the Department of Health revealed that children as young as five years old are already starting to smoke. The Tobacco Regulation Act also implements certain restrictions and bans on tobacco-related advertisements, endorsements, sponsorships and packaging.
The Tobacco Regulation Act only requires text health warnings, despite the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control treaty which was adopted in May 2003 and of which the Philippines is a signatory. In 2010, the Department of Health issued an administrative order requiring the inclusion of graphic warning labels on packs and prohibiting the use of misleading descriptors such as "mild" and "light" on tobacco product packaging and labels pursuant to Article 11 of the WHO FCTC. In response, the tobacco companies filed five cases against the Department of Health questioning its authority. In June 2014, a legislative committee composed of senators and congressmen passed a bill, called "The Graphic Health Warnings Law", compelling cigarette manufacturers to print pictures and illustrations that warn about the dangers of smoking on cigarette packs. The images would occupy the lower half of the front and rear panels of a cigarette pack and could include pictures of cancerous lungs and throats.