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Ending an epidemic

February 6, 2022 Dennis F. Fetalino 1623 views

Dennis FetalinoWho here decided that everyone likes tofu in the first place, and what is tofu anyway? And why can’t I have bacon? I line up every morning, and I’m not allowed any bacon for my breakfast…I just — I wanna know answers and I — and I wish that there was more. – The Island

IT’S the silver bullet that could take down and shake the virtual vampire off the backs of 16 million Filipinos.

The question is: Would President Duterte, like the President in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, take the shot and alter history?

Considering his legendary headstrong, unbending commitment to the common good, his answer should be what Mary Todd Lincoln told her husband in the movie: “I wouldn’t back away from what’s right just because it’s hard.”

The thing is, the task would be effortless even as the President would be signing on to posterity.

Anyway, the President is putting the finishing touches on his legacy as he rounds out his six-year tour of duty.

No doubt, his term would leave an indelible mark in the country’s history as “The Golden Age of Infrastructure”, thanks largely to his “Build, Build, Build” public construction overdrive over six years.

But how about the state of “human lives” which he stressed in no uncertain terms to be his chief concern?

Surely, “quality of life” should matter to a leader sworn to “promote the general welfare”.

“Harm reduction” as a principle is inversely proportional to preserving “human lives” by enhancing the “quality of life” of the people.

Therefore, the President would be true to his vow if he were to sign the  landmark “anti-smoking” measure regulating vaporized nicotine products into law.

If he does, the historic law is bound to be his other, humane, endearing legacy to the people who overwhelmingly voted him into office in 2016.

The vape bill is expected to lead to a dramatic decrease in smoking prevalence in the country by giving 16 million smokers less harmful options such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products and leading them away from serious illnesses and even death.

Several consumer groups said the overwhelming approval of the Vaporized Nicotine Product Regional bill in the Senate and the House of Representative would translate into a major public health gain for the country.

More than a million former smokers have already switched to less harmful alternatives, including politicians and celebrities, according to Vaper AKO and Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines.

Vaper AKO and NCUP made this statement to highlight how less harmful options enabled the President’s son, Davao Vice Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte, Manila Mayor and presidential candidate Francisco ‘Isko’ Moreno Domagoso, and comedian Vic Sotto to stop smoking and return to healthier and normal lives.

“The science supporting vaping and heated tobacco as less harmful alternatives to cigarettes can’t be denied anymore. Progressive countries including the US, the UK, New Zealand, and many more have embraced these non-combustible alternatives, following extensive scrutiny by their respective public health institutions,” said Joaqui Gallardo, spokesman of Vaper AKO.

The vape bill, ratified by Congress last month and ready for signing by the President, aims to regulate VNPs and provide 16 million Filipino adult smokers with less harmful alternatives to combusted cigarettes.

Public Health England, the highest health authority in the United Kingdom, said vapor products are at least 95-percent less harmful than traditional cigarettes while the US Food and Drugs Administration said the smoke from combustion is the primary cause of smoking-related diseases, not nicotine.

Scientific studies show that the smoke produced by burning is the one responsible for millions of deaths globally, and this could be reduced if smokers would stop smoking or switch to smoke-free or non-combustible products.

“In the Philippines, more than a million former smokers have made the switch. No less than the President’s son, Vice Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte has openly switched to a heated tobacco product,” noted  Gallardo.

“More and more adult smokers who had no success in quitting smoking before have finally found what works for them to kick the deadly habit. A UK study concluded that non-combustible alternatives are twice as effective compared to nicotine-replacement therapy in helping smokers quit,” NCUP president Anton Israel said.

“This is evident even here in the Philippines. More than a million vapers have already left smoking behind with the help of vapes and heated tobacco products,” Israel said.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who voted in favor of the vape bill, said his own brother—Vic —was able to abandon smoking with the help of heated tobacco products.

“I have a personal reason for voting yes. My brother was a heavy smoker for 45 years. When he switched to heated tobacco, he stopped smoking completely and is very healthy,” Sotto said in justifying his vote for Senate Bill 2239.

A study by ACORN Marketing & Research Consultants, an independent Asian research network, found that 94 percent of its Filipino respondents want the government to enact policies to encourage adult smokers to switch to less harmful tobacco alternatives.

The vape bill is also expected to stop  the sale of unregulated and illegal products that do not contribute excise taxes to the government.

Once signed into law, the government would be bound to properly regulate the sale and use of these products even as the law provides a new revenue stream for public coffers in support of the Universal Health Care program.

It would also elevate the Philippines to the list of progressive countries which recognize tobacco harm reduction as a public health strategy.

International studies show that countries which adopted progressive policies around vaping have seen their smoking rates fall twice as fast as other countries.

Congress made sure the vape bill would prevent minors from accessing and consuming these products.  The bill specifically bans the sale to and use by minors, and the sale, advertising and promotion of vape products within 100 meters of school perimeter and playground.

Use of flavor descriptors that unduly appeal to minors in vape products and their  display immediately next to products of particular interest to minors are prohibited.

The bill would also ensure that these smoke-free products are registered with and regulated by the Department of Trade and Industry, thereby preventing smuggling and illicit trade of substandard nicotine products.

It would also support the livelihood of 2.7 million Filipino farmers and workers who depend on the tobacco industry.

Behold God’s glory and seek His mercy.

Pause, ponder, act, and pray, people.

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