Youth leaders, health advocates, and government officials gathered in Quezon City to push for a national smoke-free and vape-free law. The event marked World No Tobacco Day and National No Smoking Month.
Participants held a “TobaccOFF NOW!” film showing. Young filmmakers produced six shorts to highlight the need for policy change.
One million Filipino adolescents begin smoking or vaping each year. Tobacco-related diseases kill 112,000 Filipinos annually. The economic burden reaches PHP 365.79 billion per year.
Albay 1st District Rep. Krisel Lagman recently filed the Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Environment Bill in the 20th Congress. The bill aims to protect the public from cigarette smoke and vape aerosol.
“Clearly, exposure to secondhand smoke remains a daily reality for millions of Filipinos,” Rep. Lagman said. “It is not a matter of choice for those exposed, it is imposed and inflicted upon them in our barangays, schools, parks, and even inside our homes.”
She added, “Several local government units have already demonstrated that strong smoke-free and vape-free policies can work. That when there is political will, strict and full policy enforcement, and community participation, healthier and safer environments are achievable.”
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed her support for stricter regulations. “Everybody knows that smoking kills and is harmful to our health, and yet many continue to smoke,” Belmonte said. “This is why we need strong policies and stricter regulations to protect public health, especially our children, from the dangers of smoking and vaping.”
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong also called for national action. “We are honored to be recognized globally for our smoke-free ordinances and the strict implementation of our local policies,” Magalong said. “But this protection must not rest on cities alone. We need a national law that serves as the backbone of local efforts, earmarks dedicated funding for sustained enforcement, and gives local governments the teeth to ensure proper and strict implementation.”
Rizza Duro of the Philippine Smoke-Free Movement said the group will continue to organize. “Civil society has spent years proving that smoke-free and vape-free policies work,” Duro said. “Communities are ready, local governments have shown leadership, and young people are demanding action. We will continue organizing, advocating, and building public support until this becomes law.”
Aurora Quilala, executive director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development, urged Congress to act. “Every year that we delay costs this country PHP 210 billion and 112,000 lives,” Quilala said. “Our legislators have the evidence, the public mandate, and the model provided by local governments. PLCPD calls on every member of the House to support this bill. The 20th Congress has an opportunity to be remembered as the Congress that finally protected every Filipino from the harms of tobacco smoke and aerosol from vapes. We urge them not to let this opportunity pass.”
Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, executive director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, noted global health evidence. “There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke or vape aerosols,” Dorotheo said. “The science is unambiguous. Across ASEAN, countries are acting on this evidence, expanding smoke-free and vape-free protections in public spaces, workplaces, and transport. The Philippines must not be left behind. SEATCA fully supports the call for the Philippine Congress to pass this bill without delay. Together, let us join our neighbors in building a genuinely smoke-free, vape-free ASEAN.”
