VOL XXXIII NO.31O.

TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2019'3 SECTIONS,34 PAGES

Senate app roves higher

taxontobacgo roduets
By PAOLO ROMERO the eigfith time tobacco taxes we're
-The House had earlier stated it
' adiusted since 2012. would simplv adoPt the Senate ver-
"th-" to obvjite
the need to convene
The Senate last night approved Being a certified bill, the Senate sion
measure-on second Ui.u*".ut .onf "rence committee
U"e p"oposar to incieasd'the "l"i9Yd +:
A; i#' v';; trvvqllv
bacco productf",,-
a :.".litlg..l*
Yrvs*""j,* :11,*1"1:otq
ioi".o".lr".onnitu*qil',1"J.t;"'t
president with anote ^9X*
o{ 20-0. Witnessing the
measure Duterte certi-
urgent' ;;; ut;'"i rilrii"" b"c,"","ry"c*_
fied as
Aooroved with
Approved withaavote
voteof20-0,
r,ir'p"*i"g""r ui, C"ui""i s".i"t"ty
of20-O Sen-' Karlo Noerales
Noeraies and other officials
t\/PVf PAq€ trLl'' -+
ateB'ii 2233, which seeks to increase from MalXcaflang and the Depart-
the excise tax on cigarettes by P45 per ment of Finance.
pack effective lan. L,202U P50 per r Applause broke out inthe gallery
pack in January 2021,: P55 per pack : when Senate President Vicente $otto
in January 20t2 and P60 Per pack,lfiI banged the gavel signifying the
effective Jan. 1, 2023. ., t bill's approval.
This will be followed by a five- Leaders of the House of Represen-
percent amual tax hike starting Jan. tatives sent word to Sotto that it was
1,2024. waiting for the measure to be sent to
The approval came before the 17th them last night so it couJd be adopted
Confresd finally adjourns this week. and seni io Malacafiang for Duterte's
'
If signed into law, it would be sisnature.
\\
tlglP t'ti)(;- t"/eu\'r'/ U: I
 achieve a "win-win situation" to P60 per pack as proposed tax law as a revenue measute. mulgated in the coming days.
Senate FromPasel if it succeeds in doubling cig-
arette Drices from the current
in Congress.
On fhe other and, around
Thev should not because it is
not 'the nirmber one consider-
But it does not necessar-
ily mean... that we are saying
P30 oe'r oack to P50. 300,000 lives will be saved if ation in our collective desire that this is a good alterna-
the interest of speedy legisla- needs P257 billion this year'
tion," - Ihe goverurlent can cover WHo', tht""gh Philippine the proposal to increase taxes to increase the taxes," he said. tive to smoking," he said at a
lepresentative Gundo Wei- to P45 per pack would be ap- The health chief wamed press briefing.
Prior to its approval, sev- the cost of Lhe UHC program lei, said "there is no rational oroved. that some 250,000 individu- "We've alreadv seen our
eral senators nijde amend- from its curent funding agreement" that can iustify ' "It's better than nothing als would get into the habit of own friends, uifortunately
ments to ihe bi[, includirlg sources from the national bud- keeoine the nrices of cisa- b t it's not the same number smoking if the prices of ciga- even some of our relatives,
expandins the tax coverage t6 get, the Philippine Amuse- rettis i6w. wlih higher ci[a- Alreadv, we have a difference rettes are kept steady or low having these (products). So we
inilude hiated tobaeco p"rod- menL and Gaming Corp. and rette pricet "real lives will be of 150,000 lives you are not He added that riore than better regulate this and let it go
ucts and vaporproductsl the Philippine Charity SweeP- saved," Weiler pointed out. saving if you are not increas- 112000 die from tobacco-relat- through rigid, stringent rcgula-
p6ds6s stakes Office in the amount of
For heateh to$acco He said the country posted ing ii to P6Q" he said. ed illnesses every year while tory standards," he stressed.
and vaoor omducts. i lew of P195 billion a "record drop" in smoking
-fhe other "win" is for the the economic loss from only Meanwhile, PhilHealth
P10 pe;10;il iters (d) of [q- The new taxes on tobacco
rate from almost. Q0 percent economy, specifically in terms four related ilhesses can be up acting president and chief ex-
uid nicotine will be imposed, producls is exPected to con- in 2009 fo 24 Derceht in 2015. of funds saved from "urinec- to a "staggering" P210 billion a ecutive officer Rov Ferrer said
P20 for 20 mI P30 for i0 ml, tribute at least hal{ of the This represenis a ong-fifth de- essarv health care" as a result yeaL the agenry is prefared to play
'
P40 for 40 mL P50 for 50 ml and funding gap of P62 billion' crease, the highestin Asia in of lo'wer tobacco-related ill- its role in the full implemen-
P50 plus P1b for every addi- The bill also amended some "such a short oeriod of time." nesses due to decreased ciga-
Not promotin$ tation of UHC.
tiona'l 10 ml above 50 rri. provisions on the excise taxes "The sin tai, the advertise- rette consumption. e.ciglaret{es "lust like any grand un-
The inclusion of heated on sugar-sweetened- and. aJ- ment ban, the restrictioh (on \4/ith higher revenue ftom Duque emphasized the dertakings, there would be
tobacco prod ucts and va- coholii beverages -hqt* Pl. public smoking), package la- higher taxeis, he said the gov- DOH is not promoting elec- obstacles along the way, dif-
nor orodricts was not Dart of ceeds are to be earmarked for beling - it's really a battery of emment would be able to ftrnd tronic cigarcttes or e-cigar€ttes ficulties that we could not
ihe ieliberations of the Sen- the LIHC and t}e Health Fa- measures that has resulted in universal health care (LIFIC), as altemalive to smoking. if we could,
Dredict. But even
ate committee on wavs and cilities Enhancment Program of significant decreasq in smok- an "important economic He said a draft adminis- iryewould be incaoable of
means on the bill. ' Lhe Departrnent of Health.
ing rates," he said at the De- benchmark' for the country. trative order (AO) mandates preventin g them. B'e that as
The bill also mandated the of Health (DoH)'s Health Secretarv Fran- that all electronic nicotine de- it may, our resilience, wisdom
placement of text and graphic 'Win-win situation' pitment celebration of World No To- cisco Duque III, for"his part, livery system (ENDS) prod- and dedication will guide us
warnings on the heated tobac- As the Senate leadership bacco Day and No Smoking stressed ihe sin tax legisla- ucts be registered with the past deterrents," Ferrer said
co and vapor products. made a final oudh.last nislit Month. tion should be considered as Food and Drug Administrai if r f.,"r,- on UHC hosted
Proceeds from the new to have the tdbacco tax hYke The WHO representative a "health measure first and tion (FDA). by the Philippine In{ormation
taxes will go mostty to fund- measure approved, the World maintained some 460,000 foremost" and not an eco- "l don't want io preempt Agency (PIA) jn Pangasinan.
ing the Universal Health Care Health Organization (WHO) lives would be saved annu- nomic measure. what is in the AO which we - 'With Sheila Crisostomo,
(UHC) law, which reportedly said the Philippines stands to allyby raising cigarette prices "Some are looking at sin hope will be issued or pro- Eva Visperas

o
#nAo6,^Jtr L/auK''
(e-;