Dr. Tinio to PNoy: 'Try' quitting smoking

Of the country’s 17.3 million smokers, Philippine Medical Association (PMA) president Dr. Oscar Tinio has his mind set on helping one particular smoker kick the habit. “If only [President Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino, III] will listen to the calls of the medical profession and cause-oriented groups for him to stop smoking, and [at least] say, ‘I’ll try,’ that’s good enough for me," said Tinio. At the sidelines of the Tobacco Control Summit 2011 in Cubao, Quezon City on Monday, Tinio commented on perhaps the most high-profile smoker in the Philippines after being asked about the PMA’s next step for their campaign against smoking. Tinio and the Department of Health (DOH) had earlier urged the President to quit smoking because of the health and security problems the President’s habit might pose. A year ago, Aquino had told reporters that he would quit smoking but only at the “appropriate" time. The president was reacting to the call of anti-tobacco groups for him to be their poster boy for the anti-smoking crusade. Early this year, the Palace had also said that the President was not yet ready to be the poster boy for the anti-smoking campaign but that he had already cut down on the number of cigarettes consumed daily. [http://www.gmanews.tv/100days/story/213568/palace-aquino-not-yet-an-anti-smoking-poster-boy] Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, however, did not say how many cigarettes Aquino consumed in a day. “This is a very stressful job and one of [Aquino’s] ways of de-stressing is to smoke. Patuloy pa rin ang kanyang plano to cut down on smoking, let’s leave it at that," Lacierda added. Stress is not an excuse Tinio however, pointed out that stress should not be made an excuse to continue smoking, pointing out that Aquino was an especially high-risk patient. Aquino’s father, Ninoy Aquino underwent a bypass operation following a heart attack while his mother, former president Cory Aquino, died of colon cancer. “If we’re so concerned about his smoking, it’s because we care about his health. It’s not because we want to ridicule him or put him down, it’s something that we’re genuinely concerned about," Tinio explained. The PMA had earlier ordered doctors all over the Philippines to quit smoking as part of their anti-smoking campaign. On top of the no smoking order, doctors were urged to inform smoker patients of the ill effects of smoking as a standard operating procedure. On Friday, the Manila Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) announced that it would be starting the information campaign for the smoking ban in public places beginning Monday. By July, the MMDA will begin implementing the campaign. Aquino had also expressed his support of the MMDA’s initiative, and promised that he would also comply with the ban on smoking in public places in Metro Manila. — VS, GMA News