89-year old SP Juan Ponce Enrile, a smoker at 9

HAVING started smoking at the age of nine and quitting when he was sixty-five, 89-year-old Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has  extolled he had never incurred any disease of any kind.

This revelation of the ‘grand old man’ of the Senate of the Philippines elicited laughter from fellow senators and guests, including ranking government officials, during the senate  public hearing on sin taxes.

Enrile, who as been vocal about his strong objection to the proposed measure rationalizing excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol products, said he is just talking about himself.

“My experience… I’m telling you about my experience. Sometimes, I’m just wondering about these things. I think I can speak here. Probably I’m the oldest in this room,” said Enrile.

In their place in Cagayan, Enrile noted that most of the farmers and fishermen are smokers. In Ilocos region, they make their own tobacco, the long ones. Sometimes, they even put the fire inside.

“I remember all the kinds of cigarettes consumed-- sweet tasting cigarette, the white cigarettes by Tabacalera. All those have been smoked in our areas. But I have not seen a person dying of cancer, dying from these diseases. Many of our people in the shoreline of Cagayan died of old age. I wonder why this cancer came about,” further stressed Enrile.

In his presentation before the senate committee on ways and means chaired by Senator Ralph Recto, Health Secretary Enrique Ona explained that tobacco use is a risk factor for six of the eight leading preventable deaths in the world.

“In the Philippines, the top 4 killers of our people are diseases related to smoking: ischemic heart disease, strokes, emphysema and cancer of the lungs, trachea and the gastrointestinal tract,” added Ona.

But Enrile, who seemed not convinced said he recalled the first time he heard about cancer was after the war.

“When I was young in the barrio, I remember a neighbor who was chewing tobacco with nganga (lime, apog) made from seashells and then from bettlenut. Then I noticed she had a hole here, cheek, that’s the only incident of cancer that I can remember all my years,” said the Ilocano lawmaker.

But Enrile clarified he was not saying that Ona was not correct as he demanded from the health chief the other reasons why pulmonary diseases and hypertensive diseases and heart attacks are prevalent in our days because of modern living and the environment.

“I think we have to be very fair about dealing with this problem,” said Enrile who even asked Ona if education will be able to reduce the number of smokers in the country.

“Definitely,” answered Ona.

“I know the President is a smoker. Did you ever asked him why he is not stopping smoking?” Enrile also questioned Ona who replied: “As a matter of fact, i think he tried his best.”

A friend, Joyce, who was sitting beside me commented, “I’m sure they were smoking ‘hand-rolled tobacco cigar.” “Eh wala naming chemical un.”

Meanwhile, Enrile has predicted “bloody” deliberations among senators on the key measure seeking to generate additional revenues for the government. He said it will still undergo thorough scrutiny at the Senate hearings.

Senator Bongbong Marcos said if the government really intends to lower the incidence of smoking, it should also provide alternative livelihood to the tobacco farmers who will be displaced.

“What will the government do with the tobacco farmers, growers, retailers and traders. They will be adversely affected by the decline in tobacco consumption. Now, what are we going to do with them if they lost their livelihood?’ he further asked.

“I even asked the senate panel how many do you think will lost their jobs due to your plan to increase taxes? We still can’t come out with this because various sectors have been giving different numbers. In the industry, they’re saying that many will be rendered jobless, but others were saying that it will just have minimal effect,” said Marcos.

Because of this, Marcos, another Ilocano lawmaker, cited the need to thoroughly study the effects if the tax rate increase will be 10% or 20%.We have to crunch the numbers on what are the effects of this proposed measure. He warned that the tobacco industry will be killed if this bill is passed into law.

“This industry supports three million workers. They are dependent on tobacco for their livelihood. They should not be neglected. While this could generate additional revenues for the government, they should also take into consideration foremost the lives of the people who will be prejudiced by killing the industry.

The Philippine Tobacco Growers Association (PTGA) has called on the senators to reject the anti-farmer and anti-worker provisions in the excise tax bill on tobacco and alcohol products approved by the House of Representatives last month.

PTGA president Saturnino Distor said their harvest are bought by big manufacturers as well as small cigarette makers. He said very high tax of as much as 708 to 1000 percent on low-priced cigarette brands, which small manufacturers make, will price these products out of the market leaving the farmers with no market to sell a significant volume of their annual production.

Tobacco workers also made a similar appeal to the Senate, pointing out that the workers employed by small cigarette manufacturers such as La Suerte, Mighty Corp. and the Associated Anglo-American Tobacco Corp. would be the first to be directly hit by the House tax proposal.

Hilario Punzalan, president of the National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU) said thousands of workers of small cigarette manufacturers will be the first to join the unemployment line if this bill is passed because small tobacco firms would be forced to close their businesses as they would be unable to compete with the influx of imported brands that pay only minimal taxes.

Senator Franklin Drilon, chair of the senate finance committee, said the bill would mean additional P33 billion a year for the national government. He said it would not only increase funds for government's health care program but would also help improve the health of ordinary Filipinos. (macon)