Published March 3, 2021, 3:00 PM
Consumer groups warned the Philippine government against non-government organizations (NGOs) such as those linked to Bloomberg Philanthropies that were banned by India for providing grants to lobby for local policies.
They issued the statement after India banned more than 14,500 non-government organizations over the past five years, including four groups that received foreign grants from Bloomberg Philanthropies of US financial billionaire Michael Bloomberg which are reportedly involved in tobacco control lobbying.
India canceled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licenses of these NGOs for reportedly acting against India’s national interests, misreporting donations, and lobbying against an established economic activity which raises multiple economic and social concerns.
The Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association (PECIA) said the proposed floor price and production cost formula in the computation of excise tax on tobacco products, heated and vapor tobacco products are largely unrealistic and too high.
In a statement, PECIA, which counts around 200 active mem
Published December 29, 2020, 3:00 PM
Consumers and tobacco harm reduction (THR) advocates achieved major gains in the Philippines in 2020 as they moved to correct the misinformation sowed by anti-vaping groups, called on health authorities to respect the rights of adult Filipino smokers to choose better smoke-free alternatives to combustible cigarettes, and uncovered the receipt of foreign funds by the very agency that is supposed to draft the regulation on smoke-free products.
PIXABAY/ MANILA BULLETIN FILE
In February, they launched #SmokeFree4Life, an Asia-wide education and information campaign that urged the World Health Organization and the Department of Health to respect the rights of Filipino consumers to choose better products.
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