“Moving forward to protect children on the harms of tobacco and all its forms” PPS-Tobacco Control Advocacy Group 2018 Report

By Riz H.Gonzalez,MD,FPPS Chair,PPS-Tobacco Control Advocacy Group

There was an overwhelming clamor for urgent and effective tobacco control with focus on protecting children’s health after the successful 2017 Nationwide Awareness Campaign on Anti-Smoking and Anti- Vaping with quiz bee and poster contest for Grades 7-10 students in cooperation with the Department of Education and SM Supermalls followed by a post assessment survey . Our success was noticed and has been presented through poster presentation in cooperation with Center for Disease Control in Atlanta,Georgia during the last American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition, Section on Tobacco Control ,Julius B Richmond Center held at Orlando, last November 3, 2018. The PPS-TCAG represented the Philippine Pediatric Society in the Senate and Congress Hearings on the following dates.( represented by Dr.Riz Gonzalez,Dr.Nitoy Estanislao and Dr.Corry Avancena)

a) March 19,2018: Senate Committee on Health Hearing on Vaporized Nicotine Products ( wherein the PPS-

TCAG Position Paper on Electronic Cigarettes has been presented,and urged to increase legal age for tobacco to be raised to 21 y.o. )

b) November 7,2018: Senate Hearing on Technical Workimg Group on Twin Senate Bills on E-cigarettes. c) November 23,2018 :Senate Hearing on Tobacco Excise Tax ( wherein the PPS-TCAG position statement on

Tobacco Excise Tax and Ban on cigarette retail has been presented) d) December 12,2018 & January 14,2019 : Congress Technical Working Group Hearing on Vaporized Nicotine

Products ( PPS-TCAG position statement presented to the lower house Committee on Health) World No Tobacco Day Celebration last May 31,2019 with the theme “Tobacco Breaks Hearts” held at PPS Auditorium with live video conference with PPS Marikina-Rizal Pediatric Group .Dr.Corazon Estevanez gave a

lecture on the “Cardiovascular effects of Smoking and E-Cigs” and Andrei Narciso, a senior HS student from Philippine Science High School presented their research paper on “Smoking prevalence in Eastern Visayas in Teens”. The PPS-TCAG through its chair,Dr.Riz Gonzalez has been invited to be a resource person and speaker on the following

a) “ Dangers of Tobacco,Second Hand Smoke and Vaping” ,Department of Education Region IV-A Forum for School Health Personnel ,part of “Eskwela Laban sa Sigarilyo”,October 23,2018, Richmonde Hotel,Ortigas Center.

b) “ Facts on E-Cigarettes” with Health Justice Philippines and other health advocates in attendance, November 9,2018, Bayview Hotel,Manila.

c) “ Nicotine and the Teen Brain” with Health Justice Philippines, Millenials PH,Bawas Bisyo, Vital Strategies, December 13,2018, UP Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman,Quezon City.

d) Participant for Department of Education’s School Health Partners Forum on Mental Health and National Drug Education Program , October 8,2018, UP Diliman ,( Dr. Nitoy Martonito and Dr.Cynthia Cuayo-Juico,in attendance).

Media appearances through television on August 6,2018 , Eagle’s broadcasting network Net 25 ,Taumbahay Show on “ Vape is not Safe” , and Radio guesting last December 2,2018 at DZXL-Radio Mindanao Network on “ The role of tobacco tax increase in protecting the welfare of the Filipino Children”.

This tobacco control advocacy in partnership with the Sin Tax Coalition likewise raise a call to the Senate to “Raise Tax to the Max”, knowing that adolescents are price sensitive and hence this measure will prevent adolescent from smoking proven by the WHO-FCTC’s MPOWER Strategy where R means Raising Tobacco Tax ,the most effective strategy to curb smoking prevalence. Published in Inquirer last October and November 2018. Information dissemination on tobacco control through the worldwide web was likewise made possible by Mr.Tristan Manalac, a guest writer of MIMS Philippines,Flip Science online ,where Dr.Riz Gonzalez has been a resource person on” The Original Sin: Your smoking can harm your children”. The Philippine Pediatric Society through the PPS-Tobacco Control Advocacy Group vows to pursue its tasks onwards to educate, engage in research and create projects to promote tobacco control with the aim of protecting the Filipino children’s over-all health.