烟草在线据VERA文件编译 根据2009年菲律宾全球成人烟草调查的数据,15岁以上的菲律宾人,有大约28.3%,也就是1730多万人吸烟。
由于人口的增加,菲律宾现在的吸烟率更高了,使得该国成为世界第15大卷烟消费国。
尽管有罪恶税法律,现在烟草产品的消费税高达25比索,但是这里的卷烟价格与其它国家相比仍然很低,大约为50比索。新加坡每盒卷烟的平均价格相当于400比索,而在文莱则禁止卷烟销售。
使得卷烟价格甚至能被较低收入阶层的人接受的另一个因素是零售系统。某些省每支卷烟的价格低至3比索,这是抑制饥饿感更省钱的一种方式。
禁烟法规的实施宽松,以及烟盒上缺乏关于吸烟危害的图片警语,都未能帮助人们戒烟。它们也没有阻止非吸烟者染上这一恶习。
菲律宾健康倡导者们曾强烈要求实行图片警语,但他们的努力受到了强大的烟草游说力量的阻碍。反烟倡导者说,这反映了烟草行业对公共政策的影响程度。
由东南亚控烟联盟(SEATCA)公布的2014年烟草业干扰指数显示,菲律宾烟草业参与政策制定的程度在进行调查的其他七个国家中是最高的。
菲律宾的得分甚至高于印尼,根据2011年在印尼所作的调查,印尼15岁以上的男性中将近70%的人吸烟。
东南亚控烟联盟的高级政策顾问玛丽(Mary Assunta)说,这是因为烟草行业的代表有制度化的论坛,他们让政府参与,然后影响政策的制定。此外,作为企业社会责任的一部分,推广活动使烟草公司基本上绕过了广告禁令。
玛丽说:“这一指数使我们看清楚了干扰所在。我们提醒这些国家,他们需要加紧努力,公开他们与烟草业的所有互动、提高透明度、停止接受烟草业的捐助,并且禁止烟草业的企业社会责任活动。”
东南亚国家协会有大约1.27亿烟民,占全球吸烟人数的10%。
对抗一个数十亿美元的产业是非常困难的。而社会知名人士——包括总统不加掩饰地吸烟间接地为吸烟作了宣传——使得控烟工作更加困难。
Philippines Still A Smoker's Heaven
Some 28.3 percent or about 17.3 million Filipinos aged 15 years and older smoke,according to the 2009 Philippine Global Adult Tobacco Survey.
The prevalence of smoking is even higher now due to the increase in population,making the country the 15th largest consumer of cigarettes in the world.
Despite the Sin Tax Law,which now imposes as much as P25 in excise taxes on tobacco products,the price of cigarettes here is still low at around P50 compared to other countries. The average price of a pack in Singapore is equivalent to P400 while the sale of cigarettes is banned in Brunei.
Another factor that makes cigarettes affordable even to the lower economic class is the retail system. A stick of cigarette costs as little as P3 in the provinces and thus a more cost-effective way to curb hunger pangs.
The lax implementation of smoking regulations and the absence of graphic warnings in cigarette packages on the dangers of smoking are not helping to stop the dangerous habit. Neither do they discourage non-smokers from picking up the vice.
Philippine health advocates have pushed for the picture warnings but their efforts have been stymied by the powerful tobacco lobby. This demonstrates the extent of the tobacco industry's influence over public policy,say anti-smoking advocates.
The 2014 Tobacco Industry Interference Index released by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) shows that the level of tobacco industry participation in policy development is the highest among seven other countries surveyed.
The Philippines scored even higher than Indonesia,where nearly 70 per cent of all males over age15 smoke,according to a 2011 survey in the country.
SEATCA senior policy advisor Mary Assunta said this is because tobacco industry representatives have an institutionalized forum where they engage government and subsequently influence policy. Additionally,outreach programs as part of corporate social responsibility allow tobacco companies to basically skirt the prohibition against advertisements.
"This index shines a light on where the interferences are," Assunta said. "We are alerting countries that they need to step up their efforts,disclose all interactions with the industry,exercise transparency,stop receiving industry contributions,and ban their CSR activities."
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is home to about 127 million smokers or 10 percent of the global smoking population.
Going against a multi-billion dollar industry is difficult enough. Having prominent members of society - including a president who unabashedly enjoys his nicotine fix and indirectly advertises smoking - makes the effort doubly hard. Enditem
重庆中烟,以新质生产力推动企业高质量发展