The former health secretaries and over 40 medical and civil society groups in a statement on Sunday said the Philippine delegation was a big mess, shameful and depressing.
Among the former health executives who signed the statement were Esperanza Cabral, Paulyn Ubial, Carmencita Reodica, and Antonio Periquet. This was also co-signed by top medical associations such as Philippine Medical Association, Philippine College of Physicians, Philippine College of Chest Physicians, Philippine Pediatric Society, and the Philippine Neurological Society.
“We… strongly denounce the position of the Philippine delegation,” the statement said.
The group said the Philippine delegation’s position led by Locsin welcomed tobacco companies and their fronts and echoed their unscientific and profit-driven claims on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
They said Locsin during the country’s official report touted vapes and e-cigarettes as “less harmful”. The top diplomat also praised tobacco companies for their “innovation in creating products that deliver satisfaction but with far less harm.”
“This is a shameful and painful insult to the families of the more than 320 Filipinos who die daily due to tobacco-related diseases,” the statement said.
The group said the Philippine government was also the recipient of a total of three ‘Dirty Ashtray’ Awards, a lampoon award given by international watchdog Framework Convention Alliance to companies and governments seen as peddlers of tobacco industry interests during the COP9.
“The lampoon award is proof of the strong and rising tobacco industry interference in the Philippine government,” the group said.
The group said this also proves that tobacco interests are front and center in the delegation’s agenda, while public health interests, the professional opinion of doctors and health experts, and even national government health authorities are sidelined and ignored.
The Department of Health (DOH) has also released a separate statement, opposing the DFA-led position.
“We condemn the brazen act to sideline the Philippine tobacco control agenda during the [COP9]. Especially in a pandemic, the government must help the medical community reaffirm rather than disregard the right of Filipinos to the highest standard of health,” the statement said.
They also urged the President to “establish the DOH as the permanent lead in advancing public health interests” at the WHO FCTC.
“The government must protect and prioritize the health of all Filipinos over tobacco industry profit,” the statement said. (Armando Fenequito)