A man holds a cigarette as he smokes in his house in Manila in this file photo. The Japan Tobacco International Philippines Inc. said a rise in tobacco tax would not curb the incidence of smoking but would only increase consumption of cheap, smuggled cigarettes. AFP/NOEL CELIS
17.3M
Estimated number of Filipinos aged 15 and older who smoke, according to the 2009 Philippine Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)
70
Estimated number of carcinogens, or cancer-causing ingredients, contained in a cigarette stick
13.8M
Estimated number of Filipinos aged 15 and older who smoke every day (GATS, 2009)
P326.4
Average amount of money spent monthly on cigarettes (GATS, 2009)
10.6
Average number of cigarettes smoked per day by daily cigarette smokers in the Philippines (GATS, 2009)
36.9%
Percentage of Filipino adult workers who said they were exposed to tobacco smoke in enclosed areas in their work places
0.25
Estimated proportion of all types of cancer which can be attributed to smoking, according to the World Health Organization
55.3%
Percentage of Filipino adult workers who said they were exposed to tobacco smoke in public transportation
P177B
Estimated annual cost of the four leading smoking-related diseases — cancer, heart attack, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
2 of 5
Estimated proportion of Filipino students who live in homes where other people smoke
71%
Percentage of lung cancer deaths in the world that can be attributed
to tobacco
2M
Estimated reduction in number of smokers in the Philippines by 2016 if tobacco taxes were increased by 10 percent, according to the Department of Health
Sources: Isabatas Na! Sin Tax is Anti-Cancer Tax: A Primer for Pro-Health Citizens, Global Adult Tobacco Survey Philippines (2009)
Compiled by Inquirer Research