Second-hand smoke is the culprit in some 20 percent of heart attack cases in Metro Manila, health officials revealed on Monday as they called for the participation of local government leaders to implement 100 percent smoke-free policies in their areas of jurisdiction.

From January to February this year, the World Lung Foundation (WLF) and Paris-based organization The Union surveyed the magnitude of smoking and its effects on the residents of Metro Manila.

The study also found that more than half of the people in the metropolis inhale second-hand smoke every day. Seventy-four percent are exposed to it one or more times per week but only 8 percent complain about it.

“Tobacco is taking a devastating toll in the Philippines and people are dying every day, even those who don’t use tobacco. The way to reverse this epidemic is through proven policies such as creating 100 percent smoke-free public places and work places,” Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Francisco T. Duque III told the press in a conference in Tayuman, Manila on Monday.

Bloomberg Philanthropies is giving the DoH $740,000 to facilitate anti-tobacco strategies especially to ensure effective implementation of Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003.

Similarly, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance of the Philippines (FCAP) is receiving a $450,000 grant to conduct information campaigns and advocacy programs and to organize tobacco control networks in major regions in the country.

The Union and WLF will provide recommendations and technical support to the programs that will be implemented using the cash grants.

The Union is a scientific organization focusing on researches and solutions to communicable diseases, tuberculosis, lung diseases, and tobacco control.

“Ten Filipinos die every hour from illnesses related to tobacco use. Active and passive smoking causes heart and lung diseases, cancers and, in Metro Manila, causes over 20 percent of heart attacks,” said Professor Bill Bellew, technical advisor of the tobacco control group of The Union.

Bloomberg Philanthropies representative Kelly Larson further revealed that tobacco use is a worldwide “epidemic” that has resulted to 75 million deaths annually. In the Philippines, 80,000 die yearly due to tobacco-related diseases.

FCAP Executive Director Dr. Maricar Limpin said the grants will allow them to work in areas outside the National Capital Region and encourage local leaders to adapt a 100 percent smoke-free policy in all public places. “Advertising ban is rampantly violated by the tobacco industry and we are going to enforce that,” Limpin emphasized.

DoH officials are working double time to put a cap on the increasing number of smokers in the country particularly among teenagers.

In 2003, only 15 percent of teenaged Filipinos aged 13 to 15 years old were smokers. But in 2007, the Global Tobacco Youth Survey (GYTS) found out that the figure had increased by 30 percent.

Health officials are relentlessly coming up with new ideas to stem the increasing demand for tobacco despite the fact that the DoH and the PhilHealth have failed to get their 2.5 percent share each from the sin taxes, which was supposed to be used in treating tobacco-related diseases.

“In 2005, 2.5 percent is about P51 million and this has increased by about P150 million by the fifth year. The Department of Budget and Management said it is already part of the DoH budget, but we couldn’t get the allocation,” DoH Undersecretary Alex Padilla said.

Initiatives on securing a law on the implementation of picture-based health warnings on cigarette packages have also failed due to strong tobacco industry lobbying.

But health officials said they are not calling it a defeat.

“Even though the Graphic Health Warnings (GHW) bill did not push through because the tobacco-growing region has blocked the bill, because of our obligation to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we could possibly implement the GHW through an administrative order. But we are still studying the matter,” Padilla said.