Anti-tobacco advocates want outdoor ad ban like Davao’s

THE ANTI-TOBACCO advocate New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP) has called for revival of the ban on point-of-sale (POS) advertisements of cigarette products.

NVAP president Emer Rojas said the group hoped the government would consider emulating the continued implementation of the ban on outdoor POS ads of cigarette products in Davao City.

“POS advertisements are being allowed in majority of the country, but not in Davao City and in some other areas. We hope the national government can take a cue from President Duterte’s hometown in pushing for the restriction of outdoor advertising for cigarette products,” Rojas said in a statement.

Removing POS ads would be crucial in combating the threat of smoking-related illnesses, he said.

Rojas said this was stressed by no less than the World Health Organization (WHO) in its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), to which the Philippines is a signatory.

“A comprehensive ban of all tobacco advertising and promotion, POS included, is deemed one of the more important measures that need to be imposed if the government expects to see a reduced consumption of tobacco products,” Rojas said.

The NVAP head said the group was hoping the Inter-Agency Committee-Tobacco (IAC-Tobacco) would take a lead role in initiating the POS ban on outdoor cigarette promotion.

He said that in doing so, IAC-Tobacco would be able to prove their health is the primary concern of people in line with President Duterte’s policy on health. Tina G. Santos

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