Treñas backs proposal on cigarette price hike
Iloilo City Rep. Jerry P. Treñas expressed support to the proposed hike in price of cigarettes as he claimed that smoking has caused a lot of health complications.
Treñas who confessed to have quit smoking for 11 weeks already said that “smoking is really an addiction.”
“It’s very easy to start but difficult to stop,” he said adding that he is committed to his desire to end his addiction to cigarettes which started when he was still in high school.
The first termer solon said that he used to consume four packs of cigarettes a day.
Treñas, when he was still mayor of Iloilo City received a lot of criticisms for his smoking habit even if there is an existing city ordinance that bans smoking in public places.
The proposal to increase taxes on cigarettes came from Health Secretary Enrique Ona with the aim to further discourage Filipinos from smoking.
Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, Ona’s head executive assistant, the DOH chief wants to adopt the tax scheme for cigarettes proposed by United States President Barrack Obama.
Oliveros said that Ona believes that the government would not only generate revenues from cigarette taxes but it would also reduce the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases and other illnesses related to smoking.
The taxes to be generated from cigarettes are also expected to help fund the enrollment of some five million poor Filipinos in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.
Ona expressed his stand on cigarette taxes in a dialogue with non-government organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines last Aug. 3.
Dr. Maricar Limpin, FCAP executive director, then lauded Ona’s position, saying that imposing higher cigarette taxes has already been proven to be an effective way to reduce cigarette consumption.
“We are banking on Secretary Ona’s proposal to increase cigarette,” she said.
Limpin said the Health chief ’s proposal will go a long way for the Aquino administration that is facing a huge budget deficit while dealing with very high expectations on poverty alleviation and addressing the social welfare of the people.*with reports from PNA
