ASOG shares spotlight report in the Philippine Smoke-Free Movement's Second Capacity Development Training

Last 22 June, the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG), through the Ateneo Policy Center (APC), was invited to attend the Philippine Smoke-Free Movement (PSFM)’s Second Capacity Development Training as a guest speaker. The event was held at the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) from 8:00AM to 5:00PM in Diliman, Quezon City and was attended by various leaders from civil society, non-government organizations, and people’s organizations of various barangays and municipalities.

During the event, ASOG shared a spotlight report featuring the Tobacco Control and Governance arm’s achievements in the sector from the past year. This included communication strategy meetings, various stakeholder engagements, and the Graphic Health Warning (GHW) compliance and flavor profile studies. The presentation also included a short briefer on the current challenges for tobacco control advocacy, including currently implemented provisions, the rising use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), heated tobacco products (HTPs), and other novel tobacco products. The attendees were very receptive to the presentation, asking questions about implementation and possible strategies to push for stronger tobacco control legislation despite the current policy environment. Mr. John Rafael Arda of APC represented ASOG for the spotlight report.

As part of the PSFM’s advocacy for a 100% smoke-free and vape-free environment in the country, the organization frequently holds similar activities to help enhance allies’ understanding of tobacco control challenges to strengthen their advocacy efforts within their respective localities. ASOG, through its Tobacco Control and Governance arm, is hopeful that sharing their activities and experiences doing tobacco control work will continue to inspire more champions for tobacco control.