"While a war against cigarettes is sweeping entire continents to create a tobacco-free world, we cannot be the last nation standing without the political will to take the necessary steps against tobacco advertisements," Duque said.
When the ban goes into effect on Wednesday, authorities will begin taking down the ads on all outdoor sites. The law also bans the posting of leaflets, posters, and other outdoor materials of tobacco products, except material inside the premises of "point-of-sale" retail establishments.
"We at the Department of Health, together with other advocates in the health sector, must stand strong against all pressures from the industry to undermine the existing laws on tobacco control in the country," Duque said.
The ban, being enforced now, is actually legislation approved in 2003 under the Tobacco Control Act. Four years later, lawmakers are enforcing the statute after several legal battles with tobacco companies in court.
Violators of the law will be slapped with a fine of roughly $111 and imprisonment of over a year. Figures show that tobacco is the fifth most dangerous cause of death in the Philippines; a nation where 35 percent of the population are considered cigarette smokers.
Among smokers, adults account for 40 percent of customers, while 15 percent are believed to be children between 13- and 15-years-old. Statistics from the Department of Health indicates that 75,000 Filipinos die of tobacco-related diseases every year, ranging from lung cancer, cardiovascular ailments, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
