In observance of World No Tobacco Day and National No Smoking Month, the tobacco control and public health advocates in partnership with the Quezon City Government, hosted a film showing and solidarity event, highlighting the importance of partnership and collaboration in building a smoke-free and vape-free community.

The TobaccOFF NOW! Film Showing and Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Environment Bill Solidarity Day featured six short films produced by young advocates and filmmakers, harnessing the power of creative storytelling to amplify public health messages and demand immediate policy action.

Youth leaders, advocates, local government officials, and national government agencies gathered in city hall, amplifying the call for a national smoke-free law.

One million adolescent Filipinos started smoking or vaping in a single year. Tobacco-related diseases kill 112,000 Filipinos annually, and the total economic burden of tobacco reaches PHP 365.79 billion every year.

Just in time for National No Smoking Month, Albay 1st District Representative Krisel Lagman and other members of the House of Representatives filed the Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Environment Bill in the 20th Congress, a national legislation that seeks to protect the health of the public from cigarette smoke and vape aerosol in all public spaces and workplaces, especially in places frequented by children.

“Clearly, exposure to secondhand smoke remains a daily reality for millions of Filipinos. It is not a matter of choice for those exposed, it is imposed and inflicted upon them in our barangays, schools, parks, and even inside our homes,” explained Rep. Krisel Lagman, of the 1st District of Albay and Principal Author of the Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Environment Bill.

“Several local government units have already demonstrated that strong smoke-free and vape-free policies can work. That when there is political will, strict and full policy enforcement, and community participation, healthier and safer environments are achievable,” Rep. Lagman added.

In Quezon City, the city government has enacted multiple smoke-free and vape-free policies, and is now working on a comprehensive ordinance to harmonize these measures.

“Everybody knows that smoking kills and is harmful to our health, and yet many continue to smoke. This is why we need strong policies and stricter regulations to protect public health, especially our children, from the dangers of smoking and vaping,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

World No Tobacco Day Awardee Baguio City added its voice to the growing chorus of support. “We are honored to be recognized globally for our smoke-free ordinances and the strict implementation of our local policies. But this protection must not rest on cities alone. We need a national law that serves as the backbone of local efforts, earmarks dedicated funding for sustained enforcement, and gives local governments the teeth to ensure proper and strict implementation,” said Mayor Benjamin Magalong.

Rizza Duro, National Coordinator of the Philippine Smoke-Free Movement, pointed to the tobacco industry’s unchecked reach. “Civil society has spent years proving that smoke-free and vape-free policies work. Communities are ready, local governments have shown leadership, and young people are demanding action. We will continue organizing, advocating, and building public support until this becomes law.”
Aurora Quilala, Executive Director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), urged Congress to act without delay.

“Every year that we delay costs this country PHP 210 billion and 112,000 lives. Our legislators have the evidence, the public mandate, and the model provided by local governments. PLCPD calls on every member of the House to support this bill. The 20th Congress has an opportunity to be remembered as the Congress that finally protected every Filipino from the harms of tobacco smoke and aerosol from vapes. We urge them not to let this opportunity pass.”
Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance Executive Director Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo underscored the urgency of the bill’s passage, drawing on the region’s growing momentum for smoke-free and vape-free public spaces.

“There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke or vape aerosols. The science is unambiguous. Across ASEAN, countries are acting on this evidence, expanding smoke-free and vape-free protections in public spaces, workplaces, and transport. The Philippines must not be left behind. SEATCA fully supports the call for the Philippine Congress to pass this bill without delay. Together, let us join our neighbors in building a genuinely smoke-free, vape-free ASEAN,” Dr. Dorotheo noted.

The TobaccOFF NOW! Film Showing and Solidarity Day marks the beginning of what the movement intends to be a sustained and visible campaign for the bill’s passage before the close of the 20th Congress.

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