E-Cigarette Survey

Seven out of 10 Filipino adult smokers believe that vape devices or electronic cigarettes are positive alternatives to conventional cigarettes, according to the 2016 Asian Nations Adult Smoker E-cigarette Survey commissioned by consumer advocacy group “http://factasia.org/” t “_blank” factasia.org.

The same number of adult smokers would consider switching to e-cigarettes if they were legal, met quality and safety standards, and were conveniently available.

Younger adult Filipino smokers are more likely to switch to e-cigarettes compared to those 40 years or older.

Conducted by Ipsos from July 26 to Aug. 9 among 600 adult smokers aged 18 years and older in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao, the survey showed that e-cigarette usage is low in the Philippines, with regular and occasional users totaling just four percent of adult smokers. 

Among occasional e-cigarette users, 43 percent say the price of e-cigarettes has kept them from using the product more. Twenty-one percent say accessibility is a reason, while 20 percent say flavor has kept them from using more frequently.

Majority are familiar with e-cigarettes (58 percent), but 29 percent said they were not at all familiar.

The survey findings are consistent with a report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) which concluded that vape devices should be widely available and that doctors should encourage smokers to use them. 

A review by Public Health England also concluded that e-cigarettes may be contributing to falling smoking rates among adults and young people in the UK. 

A coalition of 13 leading British public health organizations now actually encourages the use of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, coupled with appropriate regulation of their safety and quality. 

There are those who say that public health authorities in the Philippines should approve similar regulation and availability for vape devices.

The war on drugs

Majority of Filipinos are satisfied with this administration’s war on drugs.

The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted Sept. 24-27 via face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide, showed that 84 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with the anti-drug campaign (54 percent are very satisfied and 30 percent somewhat satisfied).

The figures translate to an “excellent” net satisfaction rating of +76 (pct satisfied minus pct dissatisfied).

The support for the President’s anti-drug campaign cuts across areas and social classes. Respondents in Mindanao, gave the anti-drug campaign +87 (90 percent satisfied, three percent dissatisfied), followed by Metro Manila’s +78 (87 percent satisfied, nine percent dissatisfied). Visayas scored +76 (85 percent satisfied, 10 percent dissatisfied) and the rest of Luzon, +71 (80 percent satisfied, nine percent dissatisfied).

By socioeconomic class, 86 percent of those in class E were satisfied, while the ABC classes registered  an 84 percent satisfaction rating. Among those in class D, 84 percent were satisfied.

A total of 71 percent said it is “very important” that suspects involved in illegal drugs be caught alive while 23 percent believe it is “somewhat important.” Only five percent said it is “somewhat not important” and two percent are of the opinion that it is “not important at all.”

Meanwhile, 83 percent of survey respondents said the administration’s intensified war against illegal drugs “does not discriminate by class.”

Experts say the survey result are consistent with President Duterte’s net satisfaction rating of 64 percent in his first three months in office.

The President’s task is indeed daunting and his impatience with people and groups who accuse him of condoning extra-judicial killings is understandable. The war on illegal drugs is a worldwide problem and the international community should even praise Duterte for taking on a fight other leaders before him dared not take on.

Ala events in Phl

Legal luminaries from the different ASEAN member-countries are in the Philippines for the two-day regional event of the ASEAN Law Association (ALA), the only recognized civil society entity for law under the ASEAN Charter.

Last Friday evening at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, a dinner reception was held to honor the chairmen and members of the ALA working groups and for the formal induction of the Philippine National Committee minister-representatives to the ALA Governing Council. The inductees are Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Rodolfo Salalima, Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade, Pagcor president Alfredo Lim, and Solicitor General Jose Calida, most of who served as ALA officials.

A legal forum was also held last Friday dealing with the preparatory work for two ALA working groups, namely “ALA at the Crossroads” chaired by Singapore Justice Lee Seiu Kin, and “Harmonization of Laws” headed by the Philippines Llewellyn Llanillo.

According to ALA president, lawyer Avelino Cruz of the Philippines and Philippine National Committee (PNC) chair retired Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban, the meetings will energize the preparatory work for the formal meetings of the ALA Working Groups to be held in Singapore in January 2017.  

The ALA Governing Council includes ALA president Avelino Cruz, secretary general Regina Geraldez, and the vice presidents and chairmen of the national committees of each ALA member-country. They are Brunei Chief Justice Kifrawi Kifli, Cambodia Justice You Ottara, Indonesia Chief Justice Hatta Ali, Phomsouvanh Philachanh of Lao PDR, Malaysia Chief Justice Arifin Bin Zakaria, Myanmar retired Chief Justice Tun Tun Oo, former Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, Singapore Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, Thailand Chief Justice Veerapol Tungsuwan, and Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Quyen.  

The ALA Philippine National Committee composed of Chief Justice Panganiban, vice chairman Alonzo Ancheta, secretary Victoria delos Reyes, treasurer Reginal Geraldez, deputy secretary general Ricardo Bernabe, Jr. ALA Journal editor Prof. Myrna Feliciano, assistant secretary Victoria Loanzon, and public relations committee chair Michael Toledo.  Its representatives to the Governing Council include SC Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Justice Antonio Carpio (Judiciary); Lilia de Lima and  Prof. Myrna Feliciano (lawyers in government); Danilo Concepcion and chairman Andres Bautista (teachers of law).

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