DOH orders health info warnings on cigarette packs

With or without President-apparent Sen. Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III as anti-smoking poster boy, the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday issued an administrative order requiring graphic warnings on tobacco packages. The DOH's Administrative Order No. 2010-0013 also required that tobacco product packaging and labeling do not deceptively promote tobacco use. "The issuance of the AO is considered a monumental achievement in government efforts to curb tobacco use and reduce its gargantuan socio-economic costs," DOH Secretary Esperanza Cabral said in a statement. Aquino said he is not keen on being a poster boy against smoking, admitting that he cannot kick the habit for now. Under the AO, the required graphic health warning information on all tobacco packages reflect findings that warning labels must be noticeable, relevant and memorable to be effective.

The DOH noted that at least 38 countries and territories are already implementing picture-based warnings on tobacco packaging. The European Union has also recommended that all their 27 member-states implement graphic health warnings. “There’s no reason why they cannot do it for us here," Cabral said. Cabral said bills have been filed in both the Senate (SB 2377) and the House of Representatives (HB 3364) that will mandate the use of picture-based warnings instead of mere text warnings on no less than 50 percent of both the front and back sides of the tobacco packages. But she said these legislative initiatives have met strong opposition from the tobacco industry, which has used its influence on legislators, especially those from the Northern bloc of tobacco-growing provinces.- KBK, GMANews.TV