GOVERNMENT officials and employees have been prohibited to interact with tobacco industry members under a joint circular issued by the Department of Health (DoH) and Civil Service Commission (CSC), pursuant to the government’s anti-smoking campaign.
Under Joint Memorandum Circular 2010-01, government workers are banned to interact with any tobacco corporation or company, except “when strictly necessary for the latter’s effective regulation, supervision, or control.”
Health Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral, in an interview, said the memorandum is based on the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control signed in 2003, which the Senate ratified in 2005.
Signatory states have committed to implement “public health policies with respect to tobacco control.”
“This [circular] is in keeping with our anti-smoking campaign,” Ms. Cabral said.
The memorandum prohibits, among others, the acceptance of gifts, donations and sponsorships, “which may affect the functions of [government] offices” from tobacco entities.
It also bans public officials and their family members from “accepting employment or recommend any one to any position in any private enterprise connected with the tobacco industry.”
It added: “Public officials or employees, regardless of status, shall avoid conflicts of interest with the tobacco industry at all times. When a conflict of interest arises, he/she shall resign from his position in the tobacco industry within 30 days from his/her assumption of office and/or divest himself/herself of his/her shareholdings or interest within 60 days from assumption.”
Ms. Cabral said the memorandum supplements a CSC memorandum issued last year that prohibited smoking inside government offices and within 10 meters from the entrance of the agencies.
“CSC will impose penalties for violators [of the memorandum],” she added.
CSC Chairman Francisco T. Duque III was not available for comment.
Officials from Philip Morris and Fortune Tobacco, Corp. declined to comment.
“I could not make a comment because I haven’t read the memo yet,” Carmen L. Herse, Philip Morris counsel, said by phone.
Fortune Tobacco said no authorized official was available to issue a comment. — Prinz P. Magtulis, Businessworld
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