By Alec Go
In line with the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, the Department of Health (DOH) launched on Tuesday, May 31, its campaign for the further protection of local tourist destinations from the negative impact of tobacco products.
The eight-month campaign for smoke-free beaches, parks, and destinations targets “to showcase” Boracay and other premiere beach destinations as pilot areas starting at Boracay’s Beach Station 2.
“[It] is timely to shed light on the harms of tobacco to the environment. To further strengthen our campaign against the use of tobacco, we have included this initiative to protect our beaches, parks, and tourist destinations from the environmental ill-effects of this product,” DOH Sec. Francisco Duque III said in an agency release.
“With this, we hope to further raise awareness and create new areas of impact in our overall effort to ensure the health of the Filipino people,” he added.
The DOH noted that about 4.5 trillion cigarettes turn to waste every year with around 4.2 million cigarette butts ending up on waterways.
It added that plastic and chemical contents of tobacco filters “exhibit detrimental effects to marine life and water quality” based on watchdog Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products remarks.
“We hope that through the smoke-free beaches campaign, we unify the goal of the DOH to provide universal health care, which includes giving families an environment that lets them enjoy healthily without exposure to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke,” Duque said.
The campaign is a joint effort of the agency with Viral Strategies, Smokefree Philippines, as well as with SmokeFree Aklan, Action on Smoking and Health, and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) office in the Philippines.
Based on WHO data, approximately 600,000,000 trees have been cut to make cigarettes, while 84,000,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions were released into the air, causing a rise in global temperatures.
More than eight million individuals die annually due to tobacco. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at least 500 million people below 15 years old in 21 countries “are exposed to secondhand smoke.”
Filipino smokers who want to put an end to their tobacco use can call the DOH’s Quitline 1558 anytime, and may reach out to support professionals through mReady2Quit Facebook page. – gb
