Produced by pro-health citizens

Transcription

1 Produced by pro-health citizens pro health citizens#2.indd 2 9/5/12 12:56:36 PM

2 pro health citizens#2.indd 3 9/5/12 12:56:38 PM

3 Message 1: Sin tax is anti-cancer tax The Department of Health is urging the Senate to look at the proposed sin tax measure on tobacco and alcohol taxes as a health bill more than just a revenue measure for government. This is not just a sin tax. This is an anti-cancer tax. Approval of the sin tax bill would eventually push the prices of tobacco products high enough to reduce consumption and discourage the youth from smoking and encourage adults to quit. The Philippines has the highest adult and youth smoking rates in Southeast Asia. Among the youth who smoke in the Philippines, 17.5% are girls and 28.3% are boys aged years. Currently 17.3 million Filipino adults are smoking % of men and 9.0% of women. Smoking rates for women are among the highest in Asia, second only to Japan and the Republic of Korea. 2 pro health citizens#2.indd 4 9/5/12 12:56:38 PM

4 Message 2: Senators must put health above other considerations What we are asking our good Senators is to put the health of our people as the primary concern in approving this measure. It is just right and responsible to tax the tobacco industry considering the billions of pesos that our healthcare system is forced to carry because of the disease burden from smoking, the losses in productivity, and the social impact from early deaths of breadwinners. The Philippine Senate ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in The preamble of the treaty states: The Parties to this Convention, Determined, to give priority to the right to protect public health; Recognizing, that the spread of the tobacco epidemic is a global problem with serious consequences for public health that calls for the widest possible international cooperation and participation of all countries in an effective, appropriate and comprehensive international response; Recognizing, that scientific evidence has unequivocally established that tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke cause death, disease and disability and that there is a time lag between exposure to smoking and other uses of tobacco products and the onset of tobacco-related diseases; Acknowledging, that there is clear scientific evidence that prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke causes adverse health and developmental conditions for children. 3 pro health citizens#2.indd 5 9/5/12 12:56:38 PM

5 The following Senators voted for the ratification of the WHO FCTC in 2005: THIRTEENTH CONGRESS Senate of the Philippines FRANKLIN M. DRILON MANNY VILLAR ( ) ( ) Senate President JUAN M. FLAVIER President Pro Tempore KIKO PANGILINAN Majority Leader AQUILINO Q. PIMENTEL JR. Minority Floor Leader Edgardo J. Angara Joker P. Arroyo Rodolfo G. Biazon Pia S. Cayetano Miriam Defensor Santiago Luisa P. Ejercito Estrada Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada Juan Ponce Enrile Richard Gordon Panfilo M. Lacson Manuel M. Lapid Alfredo S. Lim Jamby A.S. Madrigal Ramon B. Magsaysay, Jr. Sergio R. Osmeña III Ralph G. Recto Ramon Revilla, Jr. Manuel Roxas III Senate support for the sin tax as an anti-cancer measure is a fulfillment of the general obligations of the Philippines to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and is consistent with the Philippine government s duty to protect the right to health of Filipinos as stated in the Philippine Constitution. 4 pro health citizens#2.indd 6 9/5/12 12:56:38 PM

6 Message 3: Every hour, one person dies from lung cancer in the Philippines Lung cancer is the leading form of cancer among men in the Philippines. This is attributed to smoking and high levels of exposure to second hand smoke. Every hour, one person dies from lung cancer in the Philippines. The World Health Organization estimates that a fourth of all types of cancers can be attributed to smoking. Tobacco is responsible for 71 percent of lung cancer deaths in the world. About half of all men in the Philippines are currently smoking. It will not be surprising to see an epidemic of lung cancer among the male workforce within the next ten to fifteen years. Lung cancer rates among women could also increase due to exposure to second hand smoke. This will result in premature deaths and may leave many children orphaned. This will also cost the Philippines billions of pesos for health care, chemotherapy and palliative care. A major lung cancer epidemic will be a burden on the health care system and could deplete resources for universal health care. Efforts need to focus on prevention. A study in 2008 showed that 11 percent of all deaths in the Philippines were attributed to cancer. We expect the deaths from cancer to increase. If we do not act now, this could become a full blown epidemic with numerous early deaths for our workforce. 5 pro health citizens#2.indd 7 9/5/12 12:56:38 PM

7 Message 4: Every cigarette contains 70 known carcinogens Cigarette products contain 7,000 chemicals with every cigarette stick having 70 carcinogens or cancer-causing ingredients. Half of all smokers will die of tobacco-related diseases. One-third of all tobaccorelated death is due to cancer. Lung cancer is the leading type of cancer for males in the Philippines, but smoking is also a risk factor for cancer of the larynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas and the colon, and anus. About half of all tobacco-related deaths will occur between the ages of 35-69, resulting in a loss of years of life for smokers versus non-smokers. Here are a few of the chemicals in tobacco smoke, and other places they are found: Acetone found in nail polish remover Formaldehyde embalming fluid Acetic Acid an ingredient in hair dye Hexamine found in barbecue lighter fluid Ammonia a common household cleaner Lead used in batteries Arsenic used in rat poison Napthalene an ingredient in moth balls Benzene found in rubber cement Methanol a main component in rocket fuel Butane used in lighter fluid Nicotine used as insecticide Cadmium active component in battery acid Tar material for paving roads Carbon Monoxide released in car exhaust fumes Toluene - used to manufacture paint 6 pro health citizens#2.indd 8 9/5/12 12:56:38 PM

8 Message 5: Second hand smoke kills Smokers are not the only ones at risk of cancer. The International Agency on Cancer Research classifies second hand smoke as a carcinogen. This means that those who do not consume tobacco but are exposed to smoking are equally at risk of cancer. Half of all Filipino women and children are regularly exposed to second hand smoke. Many women develop cancer not because they smoke but because they live with smokers. In the Philippines: 36.9% of adult workers report exposure to tobacco smoke in enclosed areas at their workplace in the past month 55.3% are exposed in public transport, 33.6% in restaurants, 25.5% in government buildings and 7.6% in health care facilities The 2011 Global Youth Tobacco Survey showed that more than two in five students live in homes where others smoke. 7 pro health citizens#2.indd 9 9/5/12 12:56:39 PM

9 Message 6: Tobacco causes other diseases that kill Filipinos Aside from cancer, the three other major causes of deaths in the Philippines are heart attack, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease also strongly linked to tobacco use and exposure to second hand smoke. The annual cost of these four leading smoking-related diseases is a staggering P177 billion. Even if the sin tax bill is approved, the government is expected to only generate an estimated P33 billion from the first year of its implementation. This is still not enough to compensate for the burden that these diseases bring to our healthcare system not to mention the precious lives lost because of high smoking prevalence rates. We have a win-win solution here. By taxing tobacco we can generate revenue for universal health care. At the same time, by increasing the price of tobacco to a point where youth and children cannot afford it, we are preventing young people from taking up this deadly habit. 8 pro health citizens#2.indd 10 9/5/12 12:56:39 PM

10 Message 7: Taxes will reduce tobacco use among the youth and children and will prevent early death among Filipinos, especially the poor The DOH estimates that a 10 percent increase in tobacco taxes would reduce by two million the number of smokers by Likewise, raising the sin tax is also expected to reduce by 20 percent the number of yearly deaths due to smokingrelated diseases. A unitary specific tax of 30 pesos would prevent nearly 4.6 million youth from taking up smoking and avert almost 2.3 million deaths among the youth that would have otherwise been caused by smoking. Ten Filipinos die every hour because of smoking representing a clear picture of the extent of the tobacco epidemic in the country. The poor suffers the most deaths from non-communicable diseases. Based on the Lancet Article of Dr. Antonio L. Dans in 2011, the poorest quintile or the lowest 20% of the population smoke more than the richer quintile or upper 20%. This makes them more vulnerable to smoking-related non-communicable diseases. 9 pro health citizens#2.indd 11 9/5/12 12:56:39 PM

11 Message 8: Higher taxes will protect the health of children and youth The most important group of beneficiaries of the sin tax law will be children and youth who will not start smoking and will be protected from second hand smoke of adults. Studies show that the tobacco industry wants to hook young people early so that they can have lifetime clients who are addicted to nicotine. We can stop this. A vote in favor of sin tax is a vote in favor of the health of Filipino children and youth. Revenue generated from sin taxes will go to universal health care, including expansion of the National Health Insurance Program, upgrading of health care facilities and improving access to quality health care services, public health programs including research and development to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and prevention of non communicable and lifestyle diseases. This bill is supported by the Philippine College of Physicians, the Philippine College of Chest Physicians, the Philippine Cancer Society, Inc., the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines, the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology and the Department of Health as well as numerous stakeholders for child and youth health and social development. 10 pro health citizens#2.indd 12 9/5/12 12:56:39 PM

12 What pro-health citizens can do Write and your favourite senators to support sin tax as anti-cancer tax Tweet and blog your support for immediate passage of the sin tax bill Get involved. Join public events, seminars and symposia. Be part of the growing movement for promoting health of all Filipinos 11 pro health citizens#2.indd 13 9/5/12 12:56:39 PM

13 Dear Senator, We urgently request you to pass the sin tax bill --- it is a health bill. We want you to increase the price of cigarettes to a level that children and youth cannot afford. We believe that smoking is bad for the health of our people and that young people and children should never smoke. We believe that you can protect the health of the Filipino people. Isabatas po natin ang sin tax bilang anti-cancer tax. Signature Over Printed Name Address: Tel. No.: pro health citizens#2.indd 14 9/5/12 12:56:40 PM