Sponsored by: Commissioner Percival V. Cendana
WHEREAS, Republic Act 8044. The Youth in Nation Building Act, created the National Youth Commission as an autonomous youth body tasked 10 develop and administer policies, programs and services for the Filipino youth. Moreover, Section II-A sets as a responsibility of the Commission to promote physical, intellectual, and social wellbeing of the youth;
WHEREAS, Article II Section XV of the 1987 Constitution mandates the state to protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them;
WHEREAS, many studies have proven that cigarette smoking leads to various diseases and illnesses and starting to smoke at a young age increases the likelihood of death from a smoking-related cause;
WHEREAS, there is an increasing consumption of tobacco among the youth in the country across genders and age groups especially among young women due to lack of awareness of the health hazards of smoking as well as affordability of tobacco products;
WHEREAS, a recent survey conducted by the University of the Philippines Communication Research Society, 57.3% of the female high school respondents consume cigarettes daily and 94.3% can afford the high-priced brands:
WHEREAS, tobacco is highly accessible to the youth despise Republic Act 9211 that bans the safes and distribution of tobacco products to minors;
WHEREAS, current mechanisms to reduce tobacco consumption such as putting labels on cigarette packages is not effective;
WHEREAS, the National Youth Commission seeks to promote health consciousness among the youth and protect them from elements that would compromise their health and well-being,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS RESOLVED, That the Commission shall conduct a wellness campaign focusing on reducing the tobacco consumption among the youth,
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Commission shall support bills and resolutions that provide mechanisms to reduce tobacco consumption such as increasing the excise tax on cigarettes, stiffening penalties for violators of RA 9211, and instilling health-consciousness by improving the health-hazard warnings on cigarette packs.
Adopted 1 December 2011. Quezon City, Philippines.
(Signed by: Leong Flores III – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,Gregorio Ramon A. Tingson – Commissioner-at-Large, Percival Cendana – Commissioner-at-Large, Georgina P. Nava – Commissioner representing Luzon, Erwin C. Andaya – Commissioner representing Visayas, Earl P. Saavedra – Commissioner representing Mindanao, Louise Gabriel Q. Del Rosario – Ex-Officio Commissioner and SKNF President)
(Attested by: Apolonio B. Maleniza II – Executive Director and COO)