QUEZON CITY Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesday said that the local government hosted a film showing and solidarity event, highlighting the significance of collaboration among stakeholders in building a smoke-free and vape-free community.
She told The Manila Times that the events, held in observance of World No Tobacco Day and National No Smoking Month, were in partnership with tobacco control and public health advocates.
TobaccOFF NOW! Film Showing and Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Environment Bill Solidarity Day featured six short films produced by young advocates and filmmakers, harnessing the power of creative storytelling to amplify public health messages and demand immediate policy action, according to the city government.
Youth leaders, advocates, local government officials, and national government agencies gathered at the city hall, amplifying the call for a national smoke-free law, Belmonte said.
Data would show that 1 million adolescent Filipinos started smoking or vaping in a single year. Tobacco-related diseases kill 112,000 Filipinos annually, and the total economic burden of tobacco reaches P365.79 billion every year.
Albay 1st District Rep. Krisel Lagman and other members of the House of Representatives filed the Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Environment bill, which seeks to protect public health from cigarette smoke and vape aerosol in all public spaces and workplaces, especially in places frequented by children.
In QC, Belmonte said the city government has enacted multiple smoke-free and vape-free policies, and is now working on a comprehensive ordinance to harmonize these measures.
“Everybody knows that smoking kills and is harmful to our health, and yet many continue to smoke. This is why we need strong policies and stricter regulations to protect public health, especially our children, from the dangers of smoking and vaping,” the city chief executive said.
Rizza Duro, Philippine Smoke-Free Movement national coordinator, pointed to the tobacco industry’s unchecked reach.
“Civil society has spent years proving that smoke-free and vape-free policies work. Communities are ready, local governments have shown leadership, and young people are demanding action. We will continue organizing, advocating, and building public support until this becomes law,” Duro said.
Aurora Quilala, Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) executive director, urged Congress to act without delay.
“Every year that we delay costs this country P210 billion and 112,000 lives. Our legislators have the evidence, the public mandate, and the model provided by local governments. PLCPD calls on every member of the House to support this bill,” Quilala said.
Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance Executive Director Ulysses Dorotheo cited the urgency of the bill's passage, drawing on the region's growing momentum for smoke-free and vape-free public spaces.
"There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke or vape aerosols. The science is unambiguous. Together, let us join our neighbors in building a genuinely smoke-free, vape-free Asean,” Dorotheo said.
