Jump to full article: Manila Bulletin (ph), 2009-10-27
Author: JENNY F. MANONGDO
Intro: Second-hand smoke is the culprit in some 20 percent of heart attack cases in Metro Manila, health officials revealed on Monday as they called for the participation of local government leaders to implement 100 percent smoke-free policies in their areas of jurisdiction.
From January to February this year, the World Lung Foundation (WLF) and Paris-based organization The Union surveyed the magnitude of smoking and its effects on the residents of Metro Manila.
The study also found that more than half of the people in the metropolis inhale second-hand smoke every day. Seventy-four percent are exposed to it one or more times per week but only 8 percent complain about it.
"Tobacco is taking a devastating toll in the Philippines and people are dying every day, even those who don't use tobacco. The way to reverse this epidemic is through proven policies such as creating 100 percent smoke-free public places and work places," Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Francisco T. Duque III told the press in a conference in Tayuman, Manila on Monday.
Bloomberg Philanthropies is giving the DoH $740,000 to facilitate anti-tobacco strategies especially to ensure effective implementation of Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003.
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