TOBACCO FIRM UNDER FIRE OVER PETITION VS SMOKING BAN

A former Department of Health secretary and an advocate of tobacco control has condemned the alleged involvement of a tobacco company in the petition against the no-smoking policy enforced by the MMDA. Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan expressed dismay over the claim of one of the complainants that the P100,000 bond needed to file the petition was funded by a big tobacco firm.

"The admission of the complainant that the case was fabricated should appall Filipinos to no end. The tobacco industry is obviously pulling out all stops to block laudable public health measures like the MMDA's enforcement campaign," Tan said in a press statement Wednesday.