The puff that kills

WHENEVER THERE is talk about increasing taxes on tobacco products, the standard response of the industry is to warn that government could lose a rich source of revenue since higher taxes would cut tobacco consumption or even drive tobacco farmers and cigarette manufacturers out of business. But maybe our policymakers and lawmakers should take a closer look at the old goose and see if it is really laying those golden eggs.

According to the Department of Health, government hospitals are spending a total of P235 billion a year to treat illnesses caused or related to smoking, like heart diseases, stroke, emphysema and lung cancer. And P235 billion is still a “conservative estimate,” according to Health Undersecretary Ted Herbosa. On the other hand, Herbosa said, the tobacco industry contributes only P23 billion every year to the government’s coffers a tenth of the health costs of smoking. If those figures are even just half-accurate, then it is time to kill the goose and save human lives.

Smoking kills 10 Filipinos every hour, or 243 a day and 87,600 a year, according to data gathered by the Department of Health and the World Health Organization. (Worldwide the number of deaths from tobacco-related diseases is more than five million, according to the WHO.) The Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP) said lung diseases make up four of the top 10 causes of death in the Philippines: pneumonia, emphysema, tuberculosis and lung cancer. “The connection between breath and life is fundamental,” the 900-strong PCCP said, “but the evidence shows that lung health is not high on the public health agenda. Political commitment remains inadequate to effect significant change.”

The lung doctors were apparently referring to, among other shortcomings, the half-hearted efforts of the government to curb smoking. A survey done in 2009 showed that more than 17 million Filipinos or 18 percent of the population smoked regularly although 94 percent were aware that smoking caused various illnesses. Among the smokers, 60.6 percent said they wanted to kick the habit, and 47.8 percent actually made an attempt to quit. Only 4.5 percent succeeded.

Yesterday to help celebrate “World No Tobacco Day,” the Metro Manila Development Authority dusted off a 2003 law banning smoking in public places and launched a campaign for a “100% Smoke-Free Metro.” The campaign starts with month-long drive to make smokers aware of the places where they cannot take a puff, at the end of which violators will be arrested and fined.

It’s a good way to kick off an anti-smoking campaign, but if the government is really serious about curbing smoking and saving lives, it should apply other measures that have been proven effective in other countries.

The first is to require manufacturers to print on every cigarette pack graphic warnings about the health risks involved in smoking. The Department of Health imposed this requirement last year, but cigarette makers have challenged the order in court, claiming that the law calls only for written warnings. The irony is that Philip Morris Philippines, the country’s biggest cigarette maker, sells packs with text-only warnings in the Philippines but puts graphic pictures on the cigarette packs it exports to Thailand. If indeed there is no law requiring the printing of graphic warnings, Congress should pass one as soon as possible.

Another measure that has been found effective in curtailing smoking is raising the tax on tobacco products. At 30 percent, the Philippine tax on cigarettes is one of the lowest in Asia (the tax rate is 45 percent in Vietnam, 54 percent in Malaysia and 77 percent in Thailand). If the statistics are correct, there is no way government can lose by raising taxes. If the higher taxes do not discourage consumption, then government earns more. If they result in a drastic drop in consumption, then the government also ends up on top financially with massive savings on health costs. Even better, thousands of Filipino lives will be saved.