Graphic Health Warnings on Cigarette Packs

Graphic Health Warning Bill

Legislative status: Passed by Both Houses on 11 June 2014

1. Senator Pia Cayetano's Senate Bill No. 27 
2. THE PICTURE-BASED HEALTH WARNING LAW
3. Filed on July 1, 2013 by Cayetano, Pia S., Drilon, Franklin M., Aquino IV, Paolo Benigno "Bam"
4. Long title: AN ACT TO EFFECTIVELY INSTILL HEALTH CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH PICTURE-BASED WARNINGS ON TOBACCO PRODUCTS
5. The measure that will complement the Sin Tax Reform Act (Republic Act 10351), which Cayetano and Drilon helped pass in the 15th Congress, requires cigarette companies to put picture-based warnings on cigarette packs.
6. Former health secretary, Esperanza Cabral, issued an administrative order in 2010 to make the graphic warnings possible in the absence of a law but the government got a slew of court cases filed by the tobacco companies.
7. Senator Pia Cayetano said she sponsored two versions of the measure in the 14th and 15th Congress, but these failed to pass because of strong opposition from the tobacco industry and the House of Representatives also killed the bill in 2008.
8. The Philippines is a signatory to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which requires the implementation of "large, rotating health warnings on all tobacco product packaging and labeling" and the Philippines committed to pass a graphic health warning law by 2008.
9. Australia, another FCTC party, was able to pass the law, and even added another requirement: to make all tobacco products have plain, unattractive dark olive green packaging.
10. The Senate approved on Monday, 9 June 2014, Senate Bill 27 on the third and final reading, which is a landmark legislation, with 18 affirmative votes, no abstentions and no negative votes, while the House of Representatives passed House Bill 4590 with 210 affirmative votes, no abstentions and no negative votes.
11. The reconciled version of the Senate and the House of Representatives requires cigarette manufacturers to have graphic health warning printed on 50 percent of the cigarette package display.
12. The ratified bicameral version entitled "The Graphic Health Warning Law" will become a law once President Benigno Aquino III’s sign it.

References:

Cigarette graphic warning bill bitter-sweet - health advocates
Sen. Pia presses new fight for the Graphic Health Warning Bill
Senate passes graphic health warning bill
Senate ratifies bicam report on graphic health warning bill
Look, mate, scary cigarette packs!
Smoking kills: Senators want to show you how
Congress ratifies graphic health warning bill
Senate ratifies Graphic Health Warning bill
Graphic health warning bill passes final reading in Congress
Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
THE PICTURE-BASED HEALTH WARNING LAW