NVAP: Smoke-free EO to boost President Duterte’s RH agenda

The New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP) said Sunday that the signing of an Executive Order for a smoke-free Philippines by President Rodrigo Duterte (Pictured) may actually help boost the administration’s reproductive health (RH) agenda. (Photo: Ace Morandante/ Presidential Photo)

MANILA –The New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP) said Sunday that the signing of an Executive Order for a smoke-free Philippines by President Rodrigo Duterte may actually help boost the administration’s reproductive health (RH) agenda.

NVAP president Emer Rojas said such EO will ensure an environment that is free from the perils of tobacco smoke will help lower infant and maternal mortality rates in the country.

“Considering the huge effect of cigarette smoke and second-hand smoke to the health of pregnant mothers and the fetuses in their wombs, it makes it more imperative for the President to finally sign the EO for a smoke-free Philippines,” said Rojas.

“We all know now how important reproductive health is to the President. Ridding the country of the deadly smoke from tobacco would help ensure that all pregnant mothers and their infants would be safe,” he added.

Tobacco smoke is known to carry risks of ectopic pregnancy, low birth weight, prematurity, sudden infant death, and stillbirth.

Recent studies also showed that pregnant women, who have been exposed to high levels of second-hand smoke, have higher chances of miscarriages, stillbirths, and fetal deaths.

“Smoking pregnant women or exposing them to second-hand smoke both carry double the risk considering that the infant in their womb will also likely to suffer from the adverse effects of smoking,” added Rojas.

Earlier this month, Duterte signed the EO on “Zero Unmet Need for Family Planning”, which aims to intensify and accelerate the implementation of family planning programs all over the country in a bid to lower infant and maternal deaths.

On the other hand, the EO for a smoke-free environment remains unsigned by Duterte despite it being originally set for signing in October last year.

The proposed EO is set to prohibit cigarette smoking in all public places in the country, both indoor and outdoor.

It also provides that smoking areas may only be allowed in open-spaces and have prominent posters warning of the ill-effects of smoking.

Aside from eliminating the threat of second-hand smoke, Rojas pointed that having the smoke-free EO will help dampen the opportunities for smokers to puff cigarettes.

“If smokers have limited place to light their death sticks, it will lessen their chances of doing so, thus, resulting to lower health risks to smokers, paving the way to lower smoking prevalence rate in the country.” said Rojas.

In the Philippines, an estimated 10 people die every hour because of smoking-related diseases.

Most of these deaths are due to lung cancer wherein 80 percent is attributed to smoking.

Aside from those affecting pregnant women and their infants, smoking-related illnesses include different types of cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart disease, among others.