Tobacco

by Elijah Felice Rosales – The Philippine Star, 23 Nov 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Revenues from tobacco products fell two percent in 10 months to October this year, as pandemic restrictions hindered the conduct of raids against makers and distributors of illicit cigarettes.

by Sheila Crisostomo – The Philippine Star, 17 Sep 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Nine of 10 Filipino smokers want a law that would encourage them to switch to less harmful alternatives to cigarettes, a survey commissioned by consumer advocacy group Vapers PH showed

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by Christian Deiparine (Philstar.com), 29 May 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Former health secretaries on Sunday led groups in denouncing what they said was the tobacco industry meddling to relax control policies in the country on their products during a health crisis.

By Ben O. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 4 Apr 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Tobacco industry players are seeking a “reasonable” 2-centavo (P0.02) increase in the price of new cigarette tax stamps after the state-run printer APO Production Unit Inc. sought a bigger hike that would double its profit.

MANILA, Philippines — Current strategies to get smokers to drop their habit — including going cold turkey, counseling, and nicotine replacement therapy — have not been very effective, according to Peter Paul Dator, president of The Vapers PH, as quoted in a joint statement issued on Tuesday by various groups advocating safer alternatives to cigarettes.

by INQUIRER.net, 23 Nov 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Reports that the F00d and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted grants from foreign anti-tobacco groups have alarmed the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO), an umbrella group of more than 35 national consumer associations.

By Mayvelin U. Caraballo, TMT, Manila Times, 6 Nov 2020 Tobacco-producing local government units (LGUs) will get a total of P18 billion from the 2017 excise tax collections of the national government, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). In a memorandum signed on November 4 and released on Thursday, Budget Secretary Wendel…

by Mary Grace Padin (The Philippine Star), 21 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Cigarette manufacturer Japan Tobacco International (Philippines) Inc. is planning to increase its purchase of locally produced tobacco to support farmers reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

by INQUIRER.net, 20 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Rigorous government enforcement actions against illicit cigarette trade bared interlocking ties among companies that were subject of a series of raids and seizures.

by INQUIRER.net, 7 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Denis Gorkun, president of PMFTC Inc., highlighted on Monday the commitment of the Philippines’ leading cigarette maker to “delivering a smoke-free future,” which is in fact the slogan of its parent company, Philip Morris International.

by Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star), 22 Sep 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The government is urging cigarette manufacturers to nearly double their procurement of local tobacco as the industry gears up for the new season.

by INQUIRER.net, 8 Sep 2020 Deputy Speaker and Ilocos Sur Rep. Deogracias Victor Savellano expressed disgust over the widespread corruption hounding the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), putting to waste the sacrifices of tobacco farmers who helped fund the agency.

by INQUIRER.net, 28 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The House joint committees on Trade and Industry and Health approved a substitute bill regulating the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs).

by Vincent Cabreza, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 19 Sep 2019 BAGUIO CITY –– Anti-smoking proponents on Wednesday (Sept. 18) argued with local businessmen and a tobacco industry lawyer, who challenged the city’s 2017 “smoke-free ordinance,” that penalizes huge retailers and small village stores for selling sticks of cigarettes instead of a whole pack.

by Ben O. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jul 10, 2019 MANILA, Philippines–“Bantayan n’yo ‘yan (Keep a tight watch over that).” This was Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III’s order to the country’s two biggest revenue agencies amid expectations of a further increase in illicit cigarette trade once higher excise taxes kick in next year…

by Ben O. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jun 18, 2019 MANILA, Philippines — Tobacco-producing local government units (LGUs) will receive a total of P15.8 billion in shares from cigarette excise taxes collected in 2016.

by Jovic Yee, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 6 Jun 2019 MANILA, Philippines — Pedicab driver Rodolfo Valdes says it will be hard for him to quit smoking even if the government imposes a higher tax on cigarettes over the next few years.

By CNN Philippines Staff, Jun 3, 2019 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 3) — The Senate approved on Monday a bill raising the taxes on cigarettes, which came six days after President Rodrigo Duterte called for its passage.

BY BEN KRITZ, TMT, Manila Times, Jun 2, 2019 IT is considered neither fashionable nor politically correct in this enlightened age to argue against a measure intended to reduce or eliminate tobacco use, but the borderline irrationality displayed by Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez in his zealous campaign to rid the Philippines of the noxious stuff…

with a report from Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News, ABS-CBN News, May 27, 2019 MANILA – The proposed sin tax on tobacco would be implemented in tranches to give farmers room to make the transition to other crops such as corn, onion or garlic, among others, a lawmaker said Monday.

by Gabriel Cardinoza, Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 24, 2019 Tobacco growers say hike in sin tax to kill farmers DAGUPAN CITY — Tobacco farmers from northern and central Luzon provinces on Friday described as “worrisome and irresponsible” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III’s statement that the proposed increase in sin tax was intended to kill the…

by Abe Almirol, Manila Standard, Apr 22, 2019 Gamu, Isabela-Tobacco farmers here are complaining about the long-delayed benefits from their share of the excise tax through Republic Act 8420 as amended by Republic Act 10351.

by ABS-CBN News, Mar 04 2019 MANILA- Nine out of 10 Filipino adults say smoking should be banned in public places, results of a survey released Monday showed.

by Christia Marie Ramos, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 1, 2019 MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) renewed its call for the passage of a bill that would increase tax on tobacco and alcoholic drinks, citing that doing so would save lives and would help fund the newly signed Universal Healthcare Act.

by Ben O. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Feb 25, 2019 Further jacking up the excise tax on cigarettes to P60 a pack, as proposed under a pending bill sponsored by Sen. Manny Pacquiao, will help 3.2 million Filipinos quit smoking, cutting cigarette consumption nationwide by 17 percent, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

by Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Feb 22, 2019 Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday called on Congress to raise the excise on tobacco and alcohol to finance the implementation of a newly signed law giving all Filipinos access to health care services.

by Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star), Feb 3, 2019 MANILA, Philippines — Local tobacco farmers are urging the government to hold back on further increasing excise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes to allow them to stay afloat.

By Butch Fernandez, Business Mirror, Jan 30, 2019 SENATORS are firming up a consensus on a higher tobacco tax ranging from P60 to P90 per pack. But, in an indication of how fiercely the tug-of-war between pro- and anti-tobacco tax hike is affecting lawmakers, the Senate Ways and Means Committee scheduled another public hearing next…