MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - President Benigno Aquino III expressed hope today that smoking prevalance in the country would continue to drop with the implementation of sin tax reform law.
Aquino, in a speech at the 65th Session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific here, said the results of sin tax reform were "promising" as he cited the 2013 National Nutrition Survey.
Smoking prevalence among adults 20 years old and above decreased from 31 percent in 2008 to 25.4 percent in 2013, while smoking prevalence among children aged 10 to 19.9 years old fell from 9.1 percent in 2008 to 6.8 percent in 2013, he said.
"We are hopeful that this decrease will continue," said Aquino, a known smoker.
The sin tax reform bill was passed into law in December 2012 after 15 years since it was first proposed in the Congress.