煙草在線據《馬尼拉公報》報道編譯　　美國癌癥協會和世界肺臟基金會6月26日公布的數據顯示，盡管存在限制吸煙的法律，菲律賓男性吸煙者的人數仍然躋身于世界前列，全球排名第九，排在印度和中國之后。

　　2008年的數據顯示，衛生署（DOH）曾試圖強調通過罪惡稅法案的緊迫性。

　　世界煙草地圖手冊上男性吸煙率排在菲律賓之前的還有印度尼西亞、俄羅斯、美國、日本、孟加拉國和巴基斯坦。

　　中國男性吸煙者的人數以311,203,202人位列榜首，其次是印度的229,392,725人，印尼53,392,709人，俄羅斯32,827,525人，美國32,474,518人，孟加拉國21,453,341人，巴基斯坦17,723,216人，以及排名第九的菲律賓，17,634,512人。

　　同時，菲律賓的女性吸煙者也增加了很多，該國的女性煙民人數排名從2006年的第26位攀升至2008年的第16位。

　　排在首位的是美國的女性煙民，為23,671,860人，其次是中國13,532,810人，印度11,908,517人，俄羅斯10,189,820人和菲律賓3,848,908人。

　　2009年的全球成人煙草調查顯示，菲律賓15歲及以上的成年吸煙者達到1730萬人，其中男性1460萬人，女性280萬人。

　　同時，五分之一的年齡在13歲至15歲的青少年也抽煙。

　　衛生署表示，目前有2390萬菲律賓人每天都暴露于二手煙，66.7%的工人暴露在工作場所的二手煙環境，而75.7%的工人每天暴露在沒有反煙政策的場所的二手煙煙霧里。

　　此外，近2800萬菲律賓人在過去30天里使用公共交通工具的同時，也暴露于二手煙。

　　但更令人擔憂的是，每天平均有10人死于與煙草有關的疾病。

　　“雖然政府每年的煙草稅收收入約有230億比索，但用于生產產品和治療癌癥、慢性阻塞性肺病、中風等四大煙草相關疾病的醫療費用造成的經濟損失，保守估計每年約為1490億比索，”2008年世界衛生組織《煙草與貧困》研究報告中表示。

　　進一步的研究表明，菲律賓有三分之一的人口受到衰弱性疾病和煙草使用的死亡威脅。

　　“每月平均家庭收入大約5100比索的菲律賓家庭，會花費約2.6%的家庭收入用于購買煙草產品，這遠超過他們在教育和健康上的花費，這些開支分別僅占收入的1.6%和1.3%，”研究表示。

　　世衛組織建議，煙草消費稅必須至少占煙草零售價格的70%。

　　非政府組織Health Justice建議廢除價格分類凍結，應該建立適用于所有煙草產品的統一稅收系統。它還建議每盒卷煙的消費稅稅率應為30%，且應隨著通脹水平不斷上調。

Filipinos Among World’s Top Smokers - Survey

　　MANILA, Philippines - Despite the existence of laws that limit smoking, male Filipino smokers are among the top smokers in the world occupying the ninth spot following India and China among others, data from the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation revealed on Tuesday.

　　The 2008 data was revealed by the Department of Health (DoH) as it sought to emphasize the urgency of the passage of the sin tax bill.

　　Other top male smokers in the world tobacco atlas ahead of the Philippines are Indonesia, the Russian Federation, USA, Japan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

　　Male Chinese smokers took the top spot with 311,203,202, followed by India with 229,392,725; Indonesia, 53,392,709; the Russian Federation, 32,827,525; USA, 32,474,518; Bangladesh, 21,453,3412; Pakistan; 17,723, 216; and the Philippines on ninth spot with 17,634,512.

　　Meanwhile, female Filipino smokers are also a worsening lot as they climbed from the 26th spot in 2006 to 16th place in 2008.

　　Topping the list are American female smokers at 23,671,860; China, 13,532,810; India, 11,908,517; the Russian Federation, 10,189,820 and the Philippines, 3,848,908.

　　The Philippines' global adult tobacco survey in 2009 revealed that adult current smokers 15 years and above reached 17.3 million with 14.6 million males and 2.8 million females.

　　Meanwhile, one in five youth aged 13 to 15 years old currently smoke cigarettes.

　　The DOH said 23.9 million Filipinos are exposed to tobacco smoke daily with 66.7 percent of workers exposed to second hand smoke in worksites and 75.7 percent of workers are exposed to second hand smoke where there is no anti-smoking policy.

　　Moreover, almost 28 million Filipinos who used public transportation during the past 30 days were also exposed.

　　But what is more alarming is that 10 Filipinos die daily because of tobacco-related diseases.

　　"Although government revenue from tobacco taxes is about P23 Billion annually, economic losses due to productivity and heath care costs of the top four tobacco related diseases: Cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and stroke are conservatively estimated at P149 Billion annually," the 2008 Tobacco and Poverty study of the WHO said.

　　The study further said that one-third of the Philippine population is at risk of dying from debilitating diseases and tobacco use.

　　"The average Filipino household earning about P5,100 monthly spends approximately 2.6 percent of the household income on tobacco, which is more than they spend on education and heatlh which is 1.6 percent and health at 1.3 percent respectively," the study added.

　　The WHO recommends that tobacco excise tax must be at least 70 percent of the tobacco retail prices.

　　Non-government organization Health Justice recommends the removal of price classification freeze and a unitary system of taxation applied across all tobacco products. It also recommends a high tax rate of at least P30 per box and a taxation rate that is pegged to inflation.