DepEd intensifies anti-tobacco campaign

MANILA, Philippines - School officials will soon undergo a training program aimed at ensuring the full implementation of the tobacco control policy of the Department of Education.

DepEd recently held a workshop involving health officers, program specialists and writers who helped draft the manual that will be used for the training of principals and other school officials.

The training, the date of which has yet to be finalized, aims to provide members of the schools’ child protection committees with tools that will enable them to implement the comprehensive policy on tobacco that was issued last year.

“The content of the training is consistent with DepEd’s vision of ensuring that their educators are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to guide students in valuing smoke-free habits and environments,” Lourdes Risa Yapchiongco, a participant representing the Department of Health (DOH), said of the workshop.

Aside from the DOH, representatives from the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Alliance Philippines also took part in the drafting of the training manual.

“If this training can successfully prevent our youths from the false allure of tobacco companies, whether it be smoking or working for the industry, it will be a huge contribution to the human and socio-economic development of our country, both currently and in the decades to come,” FCTC director Ulysses Dorotheo said.

DepEd issued a comprehensive policy on tobacco control last year aimed at protecting the agency from interference from the tobacco industry.

It prohibited DepEd employees from accepting gifts, donations, and sponsorships directly and indirectly from the tobacco industry, including those coursed through DepEd stakeholders, partners or third parties in the guise of corporate social responsibility projects.

Prohibited are extending preferential treatment, having unnecessary interaction with, and failure to disclose any financial interest to the tobacco industry.

The said order reiterated other prohibited acts, such as smoking in school premises, establishing smoking areas within 10 meters of entrances or exits of DepEd schools and offices, and selling tobacco products inside school buildings.

The policy also banned sponsorships, outdoor advertising, distribution of promotional items for minors, and sampling of products within and in the vicinity of the schools.