Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Make smoking uncool: put yucky “cancer” photos on cigarette boxes

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By Raïssa Robles

Yawn. The toothless MMDA(Metro Manila Development Authority) has warned it would start arresting people who smoke in public areas. Big deal. This will just turn into another money-making racket for MMDA but will not drastically reduce the number of smokers in the country.

What the government has to do is to make smoking uncool by displaying photos of the cancer caused by smoking.

Instead of this,

Marlboro ad tells women smoking is COOL

And this,

This shows how our government has bent to the pressure of tobacco companies

Why can’t the government require cigarette companies to show this –

In Singapore, this is how a Marlboro cigarette box looks like - PHOTO by Raissa Robles

 

And by the way, why isn’t the Catholic Church actively crusading against smoking which has been proven to cause abortion through miscarriage?

Smoking has long been made glamorous by the advertising industry –

Winston ad subtly tells women, smoking gives you sex appeal

 

Cigarette companies lure women to smoke

It’s high time cigarette companies are made to show the real score on smoking –

 

What Winston doesn't like YOU to see - PHOTO by Raissa Robles

A year ago, then Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral issued Department Administrative Order No. 13 to do just that. Lucio Tan’s Fortune Tobacco Corporation successfully sued her and the health department in court. They argued that the department order was unconstitutional because it was a usurpation of congressional power.

The issue is unresolved to this day.

Guess what. We as citizens don’t have to wait for Congress or the Supreme Court to rule on the matter. We can do something about it.

Remember the presidential campaign when on their own, citizens started tacking decals on their cars to show support for their presidential candidates? We can do the same by posting on our vehicles these yucky photos.

Let’s make smoking uncool.

Cigarette boxes in Singapore show cancer caused by smoking - PHOTO by Raissa Robles

Comments

  1. Dapat mahal ang yosi at alak! chainsmoker ako dyan sa pinas, pero dito sa kinalalagyan ko ngaun, bihira ako magyosi, nanghihinayang ako sa pambili, hehe. meron din mga gory pix ang mga cigarette packs d2.

  2. hey am using our pics in FB, as i really admired the cigar paks whiel in Sigapore.. its truly annoying to see the horrific images and may be some smokers would realize the horrendous injuries smoking causes..

  3. More power to you, Raissa.
    Agree with you completely.
    The country is overpopulated, but not enough manpower to arrest the many who smoke illegally.
    You are right, the government should put the money where the people’s mouth is, advertise the dangers of smoking in the packs of cigarettes, that thing people put in their mouth.

  4. Hi Raissa, thanks for the post and I do agree with you that there is a lot that the citizens can do towards promoting the use of graphic health warnings on cigarette packs (although I disagree with the gratuitous reference to the catholic church). Here’s something that a group of UP Law students did in 2008 (they are all lawyers now). http://breathewell.multiply.com/journal/item/2

    • Dear Prof. Te,

      Point taken on the reference to the Catholic Church.

      Did you know my dad used to smoke two packs a day. My mother a pack a day?

      And so of course I got their second hand smoke.

      One time I lit up in front of my mom and she said – don’t . look at me. I can’t stop.

      And so I never did.