17/06/2025
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ' ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ก: ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ก๐ผ-๐ฆ๐บ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต
๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ' ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ก
By Mary Zydbrielle I. Belenzo
The Department of Healthโs (DOH) most recent โBes, โwag magyosi para โdi kadiriโ campaign against youth smoking is a commendable initiative but its success depends on more than catchy media clips and well-meaning programmes. Although the campaignโs informal register tries to speak directly to young Filipinos, thereโs not quite enough of a bottom to it; it should work deeper to be more complete, to have more nuance.
The campaign also rightly points out the scary figures on youth smoking in the Philippines. The images and messaging, which resemble those on cigarette packs, are undeniably impactful. So too is the emphasis on the strict application of current legislation, such as the ban on smoking near schools. But we canโt just rely on fear and laws. A truly successful initiative must tackle the root causes of the human behaviors that lead them to smoke in the first place.
In fact, the celebration of World No To***co Day on May 31 ushered in the observance of June as National No-Smoking Month in the Philippines, as declared by Proclamation No. 183. The observance aims to raise public awareness of the ill effects of smoking and to encourage smokers to give up the habitโmaking campaigns like โBes, 'wag magyosiโฆโ not just symbolic but part of a national agenda to reduce to***co use.
According to the 2010โ2015 Global Youth To***co Survey and the World Health Organization, one in every eight Filipino children aged 13 to 15 is a to***co smoker. Further, five out of ten students from Grades 7 to 10 have reportedly been caught smoking in the past three years, based on school-level guidance data.
Expanding the scope beyond just children, the broader national statistics are equally concerning. As of 2023, 19.5% of Filipinos aged 15 and above are current to***co usersโincluding 34.7% of men and 4.2% of women. Specifically, 18.5% smoke to***co products, and 1.5% use smokeless to***co. Among the youth aged 13 to 15, 12.5% are current to***co usersโ18.3% of boys and 6.9% of girls. Additionally, 10.8% smoke, and 3.0% use smokeless forms of to***co, showing that many Filipino teens engage in more than one form of to***co use.
The power of peer pressure, social influence, and the appeal of rebellion is an all-too-frequently undervalued aspect of public health campaigns. The โBes, โwag magyosiโฆโ slogan, while trying to sound casual, may not fully be able to capture these nuanced and educate them to take a conscious decision. That would mean going beyond just scaring young people, also adding educational programs that give children the knowledge and the support to resist peer pressures and the social lures to smoke.
It is also important to consider the adult population as role models. In 2023, 17.23 percent of assessed adults aged 20 and above in the Philippines were identified as current smokers. Regionally, Region 9-B (Zamboanga Peninsula) recorded the highest share of smokers at 43.46 percent, while the National Capital Region (NCR) had a lower, but still concerning, 9.26 percent. These figures highlight how adult behavior can influence younger generations, reinforcing the need for comprehensive community-based interventions.
Secondhand smoke also remains a major concern. 41.7% of youth aged 13 to 15 in the Philippines are exposed to secondhand smoke in enclosed public places, while 29.3% are exposed at home. Even among working adults, 12.9% are exposed at workplaces, 9.2% in restaurants, and 12.2% on public transportationโproving that to***coโs harm extends well beyond the users themselves.
What is more, the success of the campaign relies on rigorous implementation of the laws that are already in place. The ban is a good move against to***co sales around schools stretching to 100 metres, but its success depends on sustained scrutiny and community engagement. But without serious enforcement measures, the campaign could be just another good-hearted, with limited impact.
Adding to the challenge is the sobering reality that, despite existing to***co regulations, very few smokers successfully quit. As reported by The Philippine Star in 2020, โonly about 4% of smokers actually succeed in quitting under the current regulatory approach.โยน This statistic reveals a critical gap in cessation support that must be addressed if such campaigns are to produce lasting behavioral change.
It is good that student councils are getting involved, but their participation needs to be more than just symbolic. These future leaders this fall will need what they must have to champion the anti-smoking message with their friends and in their communities. That means equipping them with the weapons they need to practice peer-to-peer education, to organize awareness campaigns, to lobby for stronger anti-smoking policies.
Moreover, the health risks are real and deadly. Each year, over 112,000 Filipinos die from to***co-related diseases. To***co use accounts for about 23% of male deaths and 10% of female deaths, and contributes to over 20% of deaths from non-communicable diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, COPD, and lung cancer.
Finally, the DOH's campaign is a significant advance toward confronting the urgent problem of youth smoking in the Philippines. But the kind of enduring success that fuels great social movements will never come if all we do is move from a harsh to an even harsher hectoring of kids, from a focus on punishment and aversion to an embrace of kids, to a more enlightened frame, not only more loving and engaged but more realisticโsomething that addresses not just the message but the context, not just young people but the world they live in, and includes robust enforcement of the laws on the books. Not until then can we realistically expect a meaningful, long-term drop in kidsโ smoking rates.
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