Filipino Smokers Have Quit Options

Adult Filipino tobacco smokers who wish to quit should be given more alternatives to help them gradually decrease their nicotine consumption, a research group said, reports GMA News Online.

ASCRA Consulting’s project coordinator, Joze Songsong, discussed tobacco harm reduction (THR) in a media forum, explaining that Filipinos need to be protected from the dangers of smoking and some need smoking cessation support.  

“Through tobacco harm reduction, what we want to do is to empathize with those adult smokers who can’t immediately quit because either they use nicotine as a way to alleviate the different social circumstances that force them into this particular lifestyle or habit,” Songsong said. “What we want to do is not to advocate for a specific type of cure for these Filipino smokers but to equip them with the right information and the tools to make those informed decisions because these Filipino smokers have the right to informed choices and have the right to make choices for their own health.” 

Ehsan Latif, senior vice president of the Foundation for a Smoke-free World, said that the Philippines should learn from the THR progress of other countries like Japan and the United Kingdom.

“We can’t expect people to quit smoking in just a day. The challenge is how we interact with the private sector. It’s not dependent on one sect,” said Latif.