Avoid funds from cigarette firms, Noynoy urged

 
Avoid funds from cigar firms, Noynoy urged
By JENNY F. MANONGDO
September 9, 2009, 7:27pm
 
Anti-tobacco advocates on Wednesday urged presidential aspirant Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III not to accept campaign funds from tobacco manufacturers as he embarks on his political campaign next year.
 
"Continue to make a difference. Stop the tradition of indebtedness to industry campaign donors and sponsors and don't accept campaign funds from sectors and groups that will surely seek political favors later," Dr. Maricar Limpin, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP) Executive Director said.
 
"Refusing any material help from the tobacco industry and other interest groups will be his ultimate show of sacrifice and selfless service to the Filipino people. He has to dissociate himself from the pack of traditional politicians including past presidents who failed to uphold public interest because of pressures from their benefactors," Limpin, a lung expert, added.
 
The FCAP official lamented the lack of government leaders that have resisted the offer of tobacco industry giants in influencing the country's political institutions as the number of Filipino smokers, especially the youth, continue to escalate.
 
The 2007 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) revealed that the number of smoking Filipino youths climbed by 30 percent while the World Health Organization (WHO) projected that by 2030, there will be an annual eight million deaths worldwide due to tobacco consumption, the Department of Health (DoH) revealed.
 
WHO and the Centers for Disease Control in the US developed the GYTS to track the number of young smokers among the youth so that effective tobacco control measures could be formulated by governments.

http://mb.com.ph/articles/219837/avoid-funds-cigar-firms-noynoy-urged