Health advocates were dismayed by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent legal opinion that tobacco industry donations to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other government agencies are “acceptable.”
Rebie Relator, president of Parents Against Vape (PAV), described this opinion as “alarming,” and expressed concern about “public health and the people’s welfare taking a backseat.”
The group also described it as a dangerous irony, given that tobacco use is a leading cause of seven out of the top ten non-communicable diseases in the Philippines.
Former Health Secretary Dr. Esperanza Cabral noted how the opinion detracts from the Philippines’ national and international commitments. “This is against civil service rules and Articles 5.3 and 13 of the WHO FCTC,” Cabral said.
Dr Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, said tobacco companies have been known to donate medical supplies, support grassroots non-profit organizations, and provide funding for development-oriented projects in a bid to buy credibility and polish their public image.
The DOJ noted that the Joint Memorandum Circular by the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Health, prohibiting unnecessary interactions with the tobacco industry, only applies to individual government officials and not government institutions.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Health advocates slam DOJ stance allowing tobacco donations to government agencies
