HARAP thanks the President for listening to its inputs and not vetoing the VNNP bill. This is a step in the right direction to allow adult Filipino smokers the chance to access less harmful alternatives to cigarettes. We call on the Government and the public to work together to ensure the proper implementation of the …

Before a bill becomes a law, it undergoes a rigorous parliamentary process. A bill filed by a lawmaker is deliberated upon by a committee before it is subjected to three (3) separate readings by the lower or upper house. A bi-cameral committee is then created consisting of members of both the lower and upper house …

Groups advocating awareness and acceptance of harm reduction by society come together under one umbrella organization to promote the adoption of harm reduction strategies by the Philippine government. Harm reduction is a public health strategy that was developed initially for adults with substance abuse problems for whom abstinence was not feasible. These include using a …

Groups that have been advocating awareness and acceptance of harm reduction joined hands to push the Philippine government to include harm reduction as part of the national health policy. Harm reduction is a public health strategy developed for adults with substance abuse problems for whom abstinence is not feasible. Common examples of harm reduction include …

We’re not asking you to change the country. That’s already happened without any court’s permission. We’re asking you to protect the right of the country to change. – On the Basis of Sex It should be a given because it is etched in stone. Read your fundamental law. The promotion of the general welfare is a …

Consumer groups across the Asia-Pacific region want tobacco harm reduction (THR) to be acknowledged as a human right and public health strategy to help smokers reduce the harm caused by the smoking epidemic. THR aims to provide alternatives to reduce risks caused by smoking cigarettes.  Electronic cigarettes, heat-not-burn (HNB) or heated tobacco products (HTPs), snus …

The situation about tobacco harm reduction and how this approach is perceived in non-European countries, such as Indonesia, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Tunisia and India, was presented by seven prominent panelists at the panel discussion “Tobacco Harm Reduction in low- and middle-income countries”, chaired by Nimesh G. Desai, Director of the Institute of Human Behavior …

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has adopted a three-pronged strategy in the war against illegal drugs. PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino said the three prongs are Supply Reduction, Demand Reduction, and Harm Reduction. “Cognizant of the rapidly changing landscape of the drug problem in the country, integrated and holistic approaches must be employed …

As we slowly move back to our normal lives even with the virus still very much a threat, public health experts are now more openly talking about ways of mitigating risks of infection other than reverting to lockdowns. Epidemiologists call this harm reduction. It refers to public health tools and practices that acknowledges risk levels …

MELBOURNE – Countries with high populations of smokers such as the Philippines should support tobacco harm reduction programs for people who are unable or unwilling to quit smoking, experts said here yesterday. Colin Mendelsohn, a conjoint associate professor at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, said …

ILOILO CITY — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 6 (Western Visayas) has emphasized the role of harm reduction efforts in curbing illegal drugs in the region. Alex Tablate, PDEA-6 director, said on Saturday that the agency does not only focus on drug supply reduction but also on harm reduction. Supply reduction is being undertaken by …

MANILA, Philippines — Electronic cigarettes or vapes are being pushed as a harm reduction strategy to curb smoking-related deaths in Asia, which is said to be home to half of the world’s smokers. Anti-tobacco groups, however, say that electronic cigarettes are also bad for the health and want them banned. Participants to the Second  Asia …

Preliminary findings of studies conducted by two universities in the Philippines and Indonesia show that vaping or the use of electronic cigarettes is less harmful than smoking. Harm reduction advocates, including doctors, scientists and lawmakers, said the results of such clinical research should convince health authorities, including the Department of Health in the Philippines, to …

Manila, Philippines (ANTARA News) — Despite strict government regulation, high taxes, and extensive public awareness campaigns, smoking remains a major public health issue in Asia, with over half of the world’s smokers. Therefore, policy makers in the region should consider adopting tobacco harm reduction approach, providing access and accurate information on alternative nicotine products, such …