Albay scouts represent youths in Senate hearing on sin tax bill

by Aida Alcazar-Naz

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 3 (PIA)— Scouts from Albay province caught the attention of those in attendance at the third plenary session of the Senate hearing on sin tax bill last Thursday.

Ricardo de Castro, a high school student of Ligao National High school who acted as spokesperson of the 55 strong delegation from the province expounded on the merits of the approval of the sin tax bill.

De Castro declared that the youth wants a smoke-free community.  That among themselves they value the benefits of non-smoking, that they hope their elders will stop smoking because its ill-effects affect non-smokers.        

Scout de Castro was among the 52 boy and girl scouts who participated in the hearing and join the pro group.  These scouts are high school students from the cities of Legazpi, Tabaco and Ligao and the towns of Daraga and Guinobatan.

Albay province has an existing no smoking ordinance and so with the five local government units.

Albay Board Member Herbert Borja, chairman of the health and social services committee who led the youths at the hearing said in today’s PIA radio program Aramon ta Daw that in said gathering, Senator Ralph Recto, chairman ways and means committee; Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, along with other Senators Pia Cayetano, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Aquilino Pimentel III listened to the arguments of the pros and cons on the sin tax bill.

The youths of Albay joined the pro sin tax bill group of among others Dr. Tony Dans, Dr. Maricar Limpin, and Philippine Cancer Society.

Dans is a practitioner of internal medicine at the Philippine General Hospital where he supervises management of an outpatient charity service that cares for indigent patients.   Limpin on the other hand is the executive director of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance-Philippines.  The worldwide alliance is composed of 300 organizations from 100 countries.

Representatives from the tobacco and liquor industries also attended said hearing. 

Borja said that the passage of the bill when approved means a big win for health.

“It will be a big reduction of the number of persons contracting illnesses due to smoking, lung cancer among others.”

Borja whose father had emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to smoking also explained that the illness was a drain to the family’s coffers including mental and psychological anguish of the relatives.

People who think that smoking help them think well, Borja said is a myth.  He stated that Albay Governor Joey Salceda has stopped smoking and is healthier, his intellectual and discerning mind never diminished.

Governor Salceda in a meeting last Friday commented that he is on his 206^th day of not smoking.

Borja emphasized that the approval of the bill is a win for the economy.  He said that non tobacco producing provinces will benefit from the revenues accrued from the taxes.

“In Albay alone, 23 per cent of the IRA is appropriated for health services.  The local government will have more funds if the sin tax bill is approved, more indigents will benefit, health infrastructure will be improved and constructed,” he added.

The province of Albay expended P45 million for 138,000 Philhealth members this year.

The board member authored an ordinance and unanimously approved by the sangguniang panlalawigan two months ago which encourages the passage of the sin tax bill by both Houses of Philippine Congress.  (MAL/AAN/PIA-5)