BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: The Philippines, which is a party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) since 2005, passed a number of tobacco-control related laws and policies at the national level in the past decade. The notable policies include the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, Food and Drugs Administration Act of 2009, Department of Health and Civil Service Commission Joint Memorandum Circular to Protect the Bureaucracy from Tobacco Industry Interference, Graphic Health Warning on Tobacco Products Law of 2014, Sin Tax Law of 2012 and 2019; and the Vape Regulation Law of 2022, among others. Some of these policies are considered a global standard in FCTC implementation while the others have loopholes that the industry continue to exploit. Another challenge is the devolved governance system of the Philippines because cities and municipalities have their own legislative and executive powers that affects how national policies are translated at the local level.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: Due to the devolved governance system of the Philippines and the changing political dynamics at the local level, HealthJustice worked with government and civil society partners to develop a template policy that complies with the FCTC and national laws; and a training manual on how to defend it if challenged by the tobacco industry.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: The result is a FCTC template ordinance that both government and civil society organizations are sharing to cities and municipalities in the Philippines. For the past 2 years, at least 1 province and 5 cities or municipalities have adopted it. Implementation of these policies are also closely being monitored by partners that assist them.
CONCLUSIONS: The recent Philippine experience shows that the FCTC and national laws related to tobacco control need to be translated into a local policy that works. A multi-stakeholder approach is also an effective strategy to ensure that it is effectively implemented and sustained.