Over five million people die from tobacco smoke-related illnesses worldwide, with 13,000 to 18,000 of these from the Philippines. this is the truth of the matter when it comes to the issue of smoking. And 20% of the casualties are the unlucky second hand smokers, or those whowho inhaled the smoke being passed on by the smokers themselves.
A lot of countries have already discouraged smoke by increasing taxes for its use, prohibiting the advertisement of cigarette products, banning smoking in public places and practically mutilating the model on cigarette packs to further discourage the user. It is quite effective in many ways to some countries in abating the use of smoke, but not in the Philippines. continued patronage of this devil is rampant and it looks like people are not minding the dangers it poses to everybody.
You can walk around the streets in the Philippines and you will see men and women puffing smokes like dragon just like anywhere and everywhere as the urge arises. You ride in public transportations and find these people smoking in their convenience at the expense of other passengers. They don't even mind the person sitting next to them cover their faces to death because of suffocation. what is worse is when you see a father carrying a baby or walking a toddler with smoke burning in his hand. It is ignorance as I say or just plain stupidity that these people still couldn't get the message that smoking is bad for everybody, smokers or non smokers alike.
There is obviously an issue in consumer education but what is more important here is the governments ability to implement rules without fear of sacrificing political and financial consequences. It is very clear that investors behind these large cigarette factories are lobbying for its continued existence in business, and they are willing to spend no matter how much the cost would be just to get across business impediments. Unluckily though for the people, their government officials are oftentimes open for sale which is why even until now you still couldn't find the logic why these dangerous products continues to proliferate in the market unhampered.
In the Philippines, One will wonder why the people still smokes when the whole world is already alarmed by the effects of using it. It cannot be denied that economic benefits of cigarettes are really helping a lot. In one local government in Metro Manila alone, in Marikina where Fortune Tobacco is, a large number of people are relying their livelihood from this company whether engaging in business or employment in the corporation. The taxes that this company is paying the government is hefty, not minding the more than 25 billion tax case lodged against Lucio Tan , the major owner of Fortune, several years ago of which I cant comment on the case whereabouts.
Government officials will have to make some choices here. Should they continue to procrastinate the implementation of smoking ban, enacting the law against smoking and sacrificing the political benefits they get out of it or just let the dangers of smoking be left unstopped while it zooms pass destructions way and just wait until it wreaks havoc big time like how typhoon Ketsana did to the whole populace. The garbage that these smokers throw on the streets is also somthing that they need to look into. One cigarette butt for one user may equal one tone of garbage for 1 million user.
The laws are there but they are not implemented. We see the no smoking sign but the people just dont mind it and the police just ignores it as well. These people just disobedient or just dumb plain and simple.
A lot of countries have already discouraged smoke by increasing taxes for its use, prohibiting the advertisement of cigarette products, banning smoking in public places and practically mutilating the model on cigarette packs to further discourage the user. It is quite effective in many ways to some countries in abating the use of smoke, but not in the Philippines. continued patronage of this devil is rampant and it looks like people are not minding the dangers it poses to everybody.
You can walk around the streets in the Philippines and you will see men and women puffing smokes like dragon just like anywhere and everywhere as the urge arises. You ride in public transportations and find these people smoking in their convenience at the expense of other passengers. They don't even mind the person sitting next to them cover their faces to death because of suffocation. what is worse is when you see a father carrying a baby or walking a toddler with smoke burning in his hand. It is ignorance as I say or just plain stupidity that these people still couldn't get the message that smoking is bad for everybody, smokers or non smokers alike.
There is obviously an issue in consumer education but what is more important here is the governments ability to implement rules without fear of sacrificing political and financial consequences. It is very clear that investors behind these large cigarette factories are lobbying for its continued existence in business, and they are willing to spend no matter how much the cost would be just to get across business impediments. Unluckily though for the people, their government officials are oftentimes open for sale which is why even until now you still couldn't find the logic why these dangerous products continues to proliferate in the market unhampered.
In the Philippines, One will wonder why the people still smokes when the whole world is already alarmed by the effects of using it. It cannot be denied that economic benefits of cigarettes are really helping a lot. In one local government in Metro Manila alone, in Marikina where Fortune Tobacco is, a large number of people are relying their livelihood from this company whether engaging in business or employment in the corporation. The taxes that this company is paying the government is hefty, not minding the more than 25 billion tax case lodged against Lucio Tan , the major owner of Fortune, several years ago of which I cant comment on the case whereabouts.
Government officials will have to make some choices here. Should they continue to procrastinate the implementation of smoking ban, enacting the law against smoking and sacrificing the political benefits they get out of it or just let the dangers of smoking be left unstopped while it zooms pass destructions way and just wait until it wreaks havoc big time like how typhoon Ketsana did to the whole populace. The garbage that these smokers throw on the streets is also somthing that they need to look into. One cigarette butt for one user may equal one tone of garbage for 1 million user.
The laws are there but they are not implemented. We see the no smoking sign but the people just dont mind it and the police just ignores it as well. These people just disobedient or just dumb plain and simple.
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