Cancer victims urge smoker Aquino to support anti-smoking treaty

Victims of cancer caused by smoking have asked President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, a known smoker, to support an anti-smoking treaty initiated by the United Nations. “We are counting on President Noy to uphold our right to health, considering that the conference to the anti-smoking treaty is a public health treaty forum," said Emer Rojas, a tobacco victim, in a statement issued on Friday. Rojas is the President of the New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP), support group for victims of laryngeal cancer or cancer of the larynx. Smoking is considered as the biggest "risk factor" for laryngeal cancer. The heaviest smokers are 20 times more likely to die of laryngeal cancer than nonsmokers. In the press statement, Rojas expressed fear that the tobacco industry could intervene and affect the country positions to the anti-smoking treaty. Last month, members of New Vois marched to the Commission on Human Rights to invoke their right to health through a complaint seeking support for the implementation of the DOH Administrative Order requiring graphic health information on cigarette packs. Public health treaty From November 14-21, Rojas and the representatives of the 171 countries will meet in Uruguay for the Fourth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-4) to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The framework is the first and only public health treaty that seeks to reduce tobacco consumption and exposure to cigarette smoke. "The Philippines has gotten us this far, by signing and ratifying the FCTC," said Rojas. “For 10 years, we’ve been regarded as a public health champion in the negotiations. We appeal to President Noy to continue this good work of giving primacy to health." Obliged to protect policy Under the FCTC, the Philippines is obliged to protect public health policies from the tobacco industry’s commercial interests. "We are also counting on the Philippine delegation to promote integrity and transparency and to avoid allowing the tobacco industry to influence their decisions, in accordance with the CSC-DOH rule. After all, the FCTC preamble states that governments should give priority to their right to protect public health," he added. In June this year, the DOH and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) issued a Joint memorandum Circular that prohibits public officials from interacting with the tobacco industry except when strictly necessary for regulation. The Circular also directs public officials to avoid any perception of a partnership with the tobacco industry. In a press statement issued last week, Chris Nelson, President of the joint venture corporation PMFTC formed by tobacco giants Fortune Tobacco and Philip Morris, complained of the supposed replacement of a DTI personnel from the DTI-International Trade Group by someone from the agency’s consumer protection group The presence of the tobacco industry raises alarm signals in public health forums – in March of this year, representatives of the tobacco industry were booted out of the WHO negotiations for the illicit trade protocol on tobacco held in Geneva due to the FCTC Parties' stand against industry interference. “To give in to the demand that the Philippines represent the tobacco industry’s ‘interest’ and use their arguments in the Conference would give an impression that our government is partnering with the tobacco industry," added Rojas. “We would not want that, especially since studies worldwide show links between corruption and the tobacco industry, particularly with Philip Morris which now has a monopoly," he added. In a paper written by K. Alechnowicz and Professor Simon Chapman of the University of Sydney, the Philippine tobacco industry was described as the “strongest lobby in Asia," with Philip Morris in its internal memos saying that in this country, “‘corruption, bribery, smuggling and dirty politics are worse than anywhere else and continues for the benefit of officials who want to get rich quick.’’ - VVP, GMANews.TV