Declaration of Principles.
Section 2
SEC. 2. Declaration of Principles. – The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. The State shall protect consumers from trade malpractices and from substandard tobacco products. The State accepts that, as a State-Party to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a treaty that reaffirms the right of all peopleto the highest standards of health, the Philippines is obliged to inform every person of the health consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke; to enact effective measures to curb and reduce tobacco use, especially among the youth; and to protect public health policy from the commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry. The State is cognizant of the Philippines’ duty under Article 11 of the FCTC which is to adopt and implement by September 2008 effective health warnings on tobacco products that should describe the harmful effects of tobacco use. The State recognizes that based on empirical data, text warnings have been shown to be insufficient in conveying the dangers of tobacco products while Graphic Health Warnings have been shown to be more effective in conveying the truth about the dangers of exposure and consumption of tobacco smoke.