CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga (PIA) – The provincial ordinance regulating the selling, distribution, and promotion of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and other tobacco products is expected be implemented this year to help curb the high smoking prevalence in Kalinga.
Provincial Ordinance No. 2024-011 aims to protect the public from the harmful effects of smoking, vaping, and tobacco consumption, restrict the accessibility of tobacco products, and provide a supportive and conducive environment for users to quit, among other efforts to achieve a healthier and smoke-free Kalinga.
The results of the Kalinga Adult Tobacco Survey (KATS) 2023 showed that cigarette smoking among adults is higher in Kalinga at 22.5 percent compared to the national prevalence of 19%.
Moreover, exposure to secondhand smoke is very high with 100% of respondents saying they have been exposed at home, 50% at work, and 11%-40% in public places.
The survey found out that 82.1% of current cigarette smokers buy cigarettes from sari-sari stores. Meanwhile, 73.7% of current vapers bought e-cigarettes online while 26.3% bought their device at the store. Four in 10 adults believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes.
Moreover, the survey revealed that eight in 10 current smokers want to stop smoking while six in 10 current smokers are thinking of quitting smoking. The survey results also show that the prevalence of ‘momma’ (bettle nut) use among adults is high at 31%.
Conducted by the non-profit organization Transcending Institutions and Communities Inc. (Transcend) together with the Saint Louis College-School of Medicine and the Provincial Health Office, the KATS determined the prevalence of tobacco, vape, and momma use among Kalinga adults aged 15 years old and over with a total of 423 respondents from the seven municipalities and the City of Tabuk.
“This is important for us in public health because we should provide services that will offer our clients especially those smokers to quit,” Dr. Nelson Hora of the SLU College of Medicine and Baguio City Health Services Office, noted as he presented the survey results during the dissemination forum in Tabuk City on August 14, 2024.
The survey findings on vaping in particular highlight the challenge for policymakers in curbing the sale of e-cigarettes considering there is currently no law regulating their sale online, as well as in countering the notion that vaping is less harmful than smoking, said Hora.
“How can we be more innovative in addressing this issue on vape because vape companies are also very aggressive in their advertisement claiming that it is less harmful,” he said.
“Actually, there is no less harmful, as long as it is harmful, it’s harmful,” Hora emphasized.
Noting the finding that people still smoke cigarettes in public places and transportation despite knowledge of anti-smoking laws, Hora also underscored the need for more stringent enforcement of laws and policies. Baseline The data of the KATS 2023 could serve as the baseline in assessing and tracking the implementation of Provincial Ordinance No. 2024-011 or the Comprehensive Smoke and Vape Free Ordinance of the Province of Kalinga, according to Transcend.
“Aside from being a basis for policy, it could also be a basis for monitoring, and it could also be a basis for the funding na kailangan din natin to support the different activities that is related to the program,” said Transcend Team Leader Cecille Agpawa.
“If we could also have a funding for the preventive program natin, we could do a lot more,” Agpawa said.
According to Provincial Health Officer Edward B. Tandingan, Provincial Ordinance No. 2024-011 may be implemented this year with the signing of its implementing rules and regulations. The ordinance regulates the selling, distribution, and promotion of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and other tobacco products. (IOS, PIA-CAR, Kalinga)
