Health groups hail Baguio for tobacco control efforts, urge other government bodies to follow suit

Health advocacy groups commended Baguio City for winning the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Award for Global Tobacco Control at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, Ireland. 

The groups – HealthJustice Philippines, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), and Transcend – also called for other local government units (LGUs) and the national government to follow Baguio’s lead in strengthening tobacco control measures across the country, as the National No Smoking Month draws to a close.

“We commend Baguio City for the well deserved international recognition. Baguio has proven that a smoke-free environment is possible with good governance. We salute Mayor Magalong for setting a standard that other local chief executives should emulate. Here is a mayor whose heart is in the right place and whose priority is the health and wellness of his constituents,” said Mary Ann Mendoza, president of the public health think tank, HealthJustice Philippines, a previous Bloomberg awardee for Global Tobacco Control in 2012.

Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong accepted the award, alongside government and non-government organizations from five other countries. This marks the city’s second international citation for its tobacco control efforts.

“We urge other local chief executives to learn from Baguio’s success in implementing tobacco control measures. Over 112,000 Filipinos die from tobacco-related diseases annually. We hope that the national government will promote this best practice on tobacco control measures at the local level,” Mendoza added.

Baguio City has been enacting a Smoke-Free Ordinance since 2017. In a study by the city government and HealthJustice Philippines, Baguio has the highest level of compliance with its smoke-free policies among the three LGUs assessed within the province of Benguet.

“While much work remains to be done in fighting towards a smoke-free future, Baguio City receiving this award gives us hope that Filipinos can break free from the harms of tobacco products. It’s time for local and national governments to follow this example,” said Maria Cecilia Agpawa of Transcend.

According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report, tobacco control efforts can save the lives of 6.1 billion people. The report highlights the WHO MPOWER strategy as an effective framework in reducing tobacco use. This strategy also serves as the basis for the award, with Baguio City recognized under the “M” category for monitoring tobacco use.

“Baguio City is world-class in its fight to end tobacco use, which is still the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. If Baguio City and other cities like Pasig, Iloilo, and Balanga can succeed in protecting their citizens against tobacco, the rest of the country can do the same,” said Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of SEATCA.

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Contact person/s:

Mariz Amante Wee

Communications Officer, HealthJustice

+63998-885-1080 / +974-669-86655

stelamarieamante@gmail.com

Anelle Cortez

Project Coordinator, HealthJustice

+639178139696

anelledc@gmail.com