May 4,2011
“Cigarettes Are Eating You Alive” Campaign launched In Maasin
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-The loud voice of a concerned man from New York City,USA telling smokers worldwide that “cigarettes are eating you alive” has now reached in this country which was launched at the city gymnasium here during the recent Monday under the city’s anti-smoking ordinance no. 2009-042 approved last 2009.
After the testimonial revelations of three former smokers, before the audience composed of city enforcers, city hall employees, some students and the press, simultaneous loud expressions of supports from the attendees followed.
Two groups of marked yellow-colored balloons were released at the city hall playground as witnesses looked up the sky while they clapped their hands in approval and the balloons continued to ascend.
Origin
The launching of the alarming slogan “cigarettes are eating you alive” campaign was originally created by a New Yorker Michael Bloomberg as part of the comprehensive tobacco-control program in New York City several years ago.
The ads campaign were also vigorously tested in other countries including the Philippines, and was found to have motivated smokers to try to quit smoking tobacco.
The same campaign has also been conducted in countries like China, Vietnam, Australia, Lebanon, Mexico, Poland and Ukraine.
Press Conference
During a presscon, Mayor Maloney Samaco, the principal author of the city’s anti-smoking ordinance, which was unanimously approved by the City Council, disclosed that this ordinance started to be implemented in 2009, but it was only this year that the anti-smoking ordinance is vigorously implemented.
H e said that sarisari stores were instructed not to sell cigarettes 100 meters away from the school campuses as well as prohibiting them to sell liquors and cigarettes to all minors.
Samaco said contracts of casuals and job order employees at city hall will not be renewed if they will found smoking at city hall and in public places.
EMCEE Royen Segovia, City Tourism Officer, revealed they have started to encourage residential owners to post anti-smoking stickers inside their houses including the kitchen areas. “The city enforcers as implementors will be the first to put up anti-smoking stickers inside their respective residences”, Segovia said.
Dr. Paula Paz Sydiongco, DOH Regional Director of Region 8(Leyte and Samar) divulged that there are now 1B peoples worldwide who are addicted to smoking tobacco.
Classified by the World Health Organization as a “global epidemic kind of an addiction”, Sydiongco said, 17.3M of the above-figured are Filipinos.
She claimed that of the 17.3M, 2M are women who were being urged or influenced by their barkadas (peers), whose number may reach an alarming 8M.
The DOH Director strongly admonished the women sector not to start smoking cigarettes. “Those who are into it,” she said, “should stop this unhealthy habit because it will have bad effects to the fetal development of their babies when they get married”.
Samaco further said that with the passing of the provincial government on anti-smoking ordinance for the provincial implementation, the anti-smoking campaign of the city will now be more emphatic and strong.
Furthermore, he informed that Phillip Morres, one of the popular tobacco producers has sent him a letter. The PM management suggested that some of the city’s anti-smoking ordinance be amended. The tobacco company also suggested that a designated area be provided for the smokers to smoke.
City Councilor Ricky Montalbo, who was present during the launching, stressed that the City Council is persistent that the anti-smoking ordinance should be strictly implemented.
Although another City Councilor Margarita Bantug admitted that upon reviewing the aforesaid ordinance, she found that some of its provisions need to be amended. Yet she did not elaborate.
Likewise, anti-smoking stickers are now posted mostly in public utility of the city government, he said. However, for private individuals it will be under their choice or discretion.
10th Preventable Mortality
Studies show that tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of mortality in the world today, and is responsible of more than 5M deaths each year-one in ten preventable deaths worldwide.
In Southern Leyte the top ten causes of mortality in 2009 were all tobacco-related diseases. These include pneumonia, hypertension, cancer in all forms, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cerebro vascular accidents, myo-cardial infraction, congestive heart failure, peptic ulcer, diabetes mellitus, and renal diseases.
Vital body organs that are prone to be affected by smoking tobacco are mouth, throat, heart and lungs.
Stop Smoking
The three inveterate smokers who finally decided to give their testimonies and to stop smoking were DOST assistant head Florita “Daphin” Santaigo;President of Barangay Captains Federation Danilo Dueñas and school teacher Melchor “Milly” Gerong,brother of Rafael Gerong,Jr. of the City Mayor’s office.
Santiago who smoked for thirty years, said that she finally decided to stop three years ago. She confessed as a smoker she lacks the appetite to eat. Her decision to stop for good was assisted by smoking cessation tablet which she took for 12 weeks as instructed by a local internist,Dr. Levi M. Tan,cardiologist. She said that even before she could complete her medication, she found that the smell of a tobacco and its smoke has become unpleasant..”Of course some of my friends would offered me cigars but I resolve to avoid tasting it again’, she said. Now Santiago looks bigger than when she was a smoker. “I have gained my appetite now”.
Dueñas was a smoker for 37 years starting in 1974. He said he finally stop smoking last May 20, 2009 in support of the Mayor’s imposition of the anti-smoking ordinance.
He explained his decision to stop smoking is to give an example to his constituents to also stop smoking cigarettes. He confided it was not hard for him to stop the bad habit, saying,”Ang pagdisiplina sa kaugalingon maoy makatabang sa pagpahunong sa pagtabako.”(What is needed to stop smoking is self-discipline).
The President of the FBC also intimated that the campaign slogan on TV ads which says “Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health”, has further bolstered his decision to quit smoking for good.
School teacher Melchor Gerong, a chain smoker described himself as “a champion in cigarettes smoking” consuming 7 packs a day. He said he was a smoker for 30 years. However, he disclosed that while he was in the seminary he has no vice. But when he decided to go out in the seminary, his barkadas who were members of the Smokers Club have induced him to smoke starting 1968.
He claimed he could have 3 intramurals for days without eating but by just smoking cigarettes without disturbing him. “Smoking would make my mind sharp”, he claimed, “that I can finish writing a drama or my experiences in just 2 hours…And I’m the only teacher who smoke cigarettes inside an aircon room during regional conferences”.
Nonetheless, someone among his colleagues would always be reminding him, he continued, to smoke at the lobby and come back after consuming his cigarettes.
Finally he got sick and was hospitalized, he told the audience, who would laugh from time to time as he narrated his story in a humorous way.
He revealed that after the doctor has examined him, he was diagnosed as having a lung cancer and his legs have become smaller. “I could not walk for 8 months”, he said. “If I’m inside the comfort room I have to crawl…”
Gerong furthermore unfolded that his suffering and pain made him reflect and has realized that “he was ignoring his wife”. Question like “Can my wife feed our children without me?” popped up in his mind. And, he also thrown the same question to all smokers who were present at the launching, and even repeated it for emphasis, to the laughter of the audience.
The former chain smoker moreover said that when Dr. Arthur Bascug knew of his decision to stop smoking for the seek of his family, the latter advised him to make his withdrawal gradual. But, he did not follow the doctor’s advice and “suddenly stop” he said. The quitter however did not elaborate whether he was taking some smoking cessation tablets like Santiago or what. Now he looks healthy and quite strong as he walks.
Smoking Cessation
DOH representative Leticia Obligado Tan, one of the IPHO’s technical staff, enunciated that those smokers who find it hard for them to quit smoking on their own may seek assistance from the Healthy City Initiative office or approach Dr. Teodoro Salas, City Health Officer of the City Health Unit-1 for smoking cessation training-seminar.
Residential owners are likewise encouraged by the city government to post anti-smoking stickers, not only inside their dwellings, but also at their kitchens.
Open Forum
During open forum PDI correspondent Jani Arnaiz suggested that littering of cigarette butts should be prohibited and fined the violators. He told the panelists that this is what the city of Davao and the municipality of Silago were doing to those who have violated such ordinance.
Although Mayor Samaco was amiable that there should be no littering of wastes and cigarette butts in the streets and anywhere, he gave more emphasis on the importance of educating the smokers to quit smoking for their own health benefits. “WE will not fine, but educate them (the smokers) to quit smoking”, he said.
PIA’s Marcelo “Bong” Pedalino asked if ordering smokers to stop smoking is a violation of one’s right.
Dr. Sydiongco explained to Pedalino and sundry that prohibiting or advising smokers to
quit smoking is for their own good. That the quitting would make them regain their health and the harmful smokes they have released in our surroundings would also stop harming their fellowmen’s health. “Their fellowmen have more rights to remain healthy”, she stressed. “It is also one of the provisions of the Clean Air Act of 1999 to provide clean air to the environment”.
Additionally, exercising one’s right that is harmful and destructive to the health or property of one’s fellowmen is understandably not allowable by our law. Since a harmful or bad act is not a right but is considered as a transgression or a crime.
Another media practitioner also suggested that anti-smoking stickers should also be posted in all passenger buses, motorcabs including even the trisikad.This is to remind both the drivers and the passengers not to smoke while riding aboard in any of the vehicles.
Moreover, Samaco told the press that the city government is not only strongly campaigning on anti-smoking, but also in other illegal activities like illegal drugs and illegal fishing in Maasin area.
Some organizations and establishments that are supporting the city’s anti-smoking ordinance are, among others,Maasin Taekwondo Club,Maasin Cycling Club,Inc.,Rose Pharmacy, Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative,Inc.,Vintage Vision International,Inc.,Knights of Columbus, Provincial Government of Southern Leyte,Office of Congressman Roger Mercado,Liga Ng Mga Barangay, OCCCI Coop, Electronics Art Printing, Seventh Day Adventist, Mercury Drug,SuperChar Food Hauz,tle no.(053)570-8623,accept catering, Ampil Pensione(053) 570-8084,ampilpensione@yahoo.com).
Also present were Marysol Balane,DOH-Bloomberg’s Communication Officer; Bloomberg Foundation representative Cane Estela; Christopher Plateros-Leader, Healthy City Initiative; Dr. Imelda Ramos-DOH-Eastern Visayas HCI Coordinator.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)