It’s true that reducing air pollution from causes other than smoking - both outdoor and indoor - is also a major challenge, not only in the Philippines, but also worldwide.
However, the country has a SERIOUS problem with smoking (
link here ). Estimates vary for its smoking rates, but almost half of Filipino men, and at least a tenth of women, smoke - over 90 billion cigarettes are thought to have been sold in 2015. This compares to less than a fifth of men and women now smoking in the UK ( in the 1970s nearly half the adult population smoked ).
To date, public smoking bans in the Philippines have been implemented by local ordinances, with mixed success. However, the aggressive ordinance in Davao City, where of course Duterte was mayor for over 20 years, means that public smoking can bring 4 months in jail and a P5,000 fine.
What those living in or visiting the Philippines will already have noted is graphic health warning labels which finally began being implemented last year. However, the country has one of the strongest tobacco industry lobbies in the Western Pacific Region. Pro-industry legislators were able to reduce the public health proposal for 80%-sized warnings to be placed on the upper front and back of packs, to the bottom 50% of packs. Packs that violate the rule are still widely available from retailers, and many smokers buy cigarettes individually rather than by the pack. It’s also hard to believe that ALL adults don’t already know the dangers of smoking ( or at least that cancer is one of them ).
Cigarettes in the Philippines were in 2012 the cheapest in southeast Asia. While still relatively cheap, “ sin tax “ reforms have since raised taxes and the higher prices are claimed to reduced sales, especially discouraging young and lowest income smokers.
Despite the well known multiple health risks from smoking ( especially cigarettes ), it’s always claimed that banning cigarettes would be impossible to implement, given the continuing demand from smokers. It’s also the case that receipts from " sin taxes " may help to fund health service(s) - for example, enabling " PhilHealth " to cover more very poor Filipinos. Estimates vary, but taxes on cigarettes in the UK may bring in £12 billion annually, whereas NHS treatments of smoking-related illness may be half that amount ( and smokers have reduced life expectancy ;
link here ). If cigarettes were only available on the " black market ", clearly there would be no tax revenue.
It remains to be seen how successful will be the Philippines attempts to control tobacco smoking. Until now, more effort has been made to reduce another serious disease especially affecting lungs - tuberculosis.
ALL CREDIT FOR TRYING, HOWEVER !
It’s nearly 40 years since I have seen stamps issued, during the presidency of Marcos, to publicise the adverse effects of smoking :-