Law group hits Locsin for 'dirty ashtray award' during WHO conference on tobacco control

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Public interest law group ImagineLaw criticized Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Boy Locsin, Jr. for what they call a ‘blatant disregard of the position of the Department of Health (DOH) and the medical community against vapes and e-cigarettes’.

Locsin as head of the Philippine delegation to the ninth Conference of Parties (COP9) of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) being held this week touted vapes and e-cigarettes (novel tobacco products) as ‘less harmful’ as part of the Philippines’ Statement on the WHO FCTC Global Progress Report. The secretary also praised tobacco companies for their ‘innovation in creating products that deliver satisfaction but with far less harm’.

“Secretary Locsin’s statements in the COP 9 echo the false narratives peddled by tobacco companies,” according to ImagineLaw Executive Director Atty. Sophia San Luis. “These narratives go against overwhelming medical and scientific opinion on the real harms of vapes and e-cigarettes,” she added.


Dirty Ashtray Award


The Philippine government on Tuesday was also awarded the ‘Dirty Ashtray Award’, a lampoon award given by international watchdog Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) to companies and governments seen as peddlers of tobacco industry interests.

Together with Guatemala, the award was given to the Philippines on the second day of COP 9 for “insisting on amendments with unhelpful and often confusing wording which wasted valuable COP time,” according to the FCA.

“It is a great misfortune and an example of supreme irony that tobacco interests are represented in the Philippine delegation to an international platform for tobacco control, while public health interests are sidelined,” said San Luis. “This is a big insult and a shameful setback in the Philippines’ efforts to curb the rising number of deaths caused by the tobacco industry in the Philippines,” she added.


Locsin urged: listen to DOH


ImagineLaw urged Locsin to withdraw his statement and allow the DOH to take the lead in advancing public health interests in the COP9.

“It is a public health conference of parties by the World Health Organization. Secretary Locsin famously said before to leave the matters of foreign affairs to him. In the same light, he should also leave public health matters to the DOH,” said San Luis.

She also urged the Philippine delegation to listen to health experts and ‘commit to curb the harms of vapes, e-cigarettes, restrict access to these novel products and dispel unsubstantiated harm reduction claims.’

“Physicians and the medical community have been clear about the danger of vapes and e-cigarettes to people’s health. They are not a viable smoking cessation nor harm reduction tools but a way for tobacco companies to secure their profits.

Event Highlights Solutions to Reduce Plastic Waste in Rivers and Coasts

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Around 11 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans yearly. This is equivalent to an entire garbage truck’s worth of plastic every minute,” said World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Global Plastics Policy Coordinator Mr. Huy Ho during a webinar on replicable models on marine plastic pollution monitoring held on 9 November 2021. “The economic damage of plastic to Earth’s marine ecosystems is estimated at USD13 billion, severely affecting 1,500 species,” Ho added.

Organized by Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Resource Facility under the ASEAN-Norwegian Cooperation Project on Local Capacity Building for Reducing Plastic Pollution in the ASEAN Region (ASEANO), the event highlighted regional efforts to stem the flow of plastic waste into our oceans.

“One of the main challenges for Asian countries is the prevalence of tingi culture, where people prefer to buy small, disposable goodie sachets instead of buying in bulk,” explained Dr. Edwin Lineses of De La Salle University Dasmariñas (DLSU-D), Philippines.

A 2004 study by Prahalad explained how sachets enabled the global poor to procure goods that well-off people consume, albeit in smaller amounts. This practice has spurred millions of tonnes of single use plastics that are choking Asia’s rivers and coasts. The global COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem. “In 2020, the Philippines alone was using an estimated 49 million disposable facemasks daily,” added Lineses.

The ASEANO project aims to develop and promote sound and sustainable measures to reduce the impacts of plastic pollution and their implications on socioeconomic development and the environment. The project focuses on the city or municipal level, with Cavite’s Imus River and Indonesia’s Citarum River as project sites.

One of Cavite’s six major river systems, the Imus River originates in the highlands of Tagaytay and wends through the cities of Dasmariñas, Imus and Bacoor before emptying its contents into Manila Bay. “Cavite alone generates well over a thousand tonnes of solid waste daily,” said Cavite Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ms. Anabelle Cayabyab. “What we need is to change the attitude of people in both generating and managing their solid waste because they think the government will always clean up after them. There is no magic solution. We need everyone’s cooperation.”

The webinar’s experts highlighted the dangers of marine pollution, particularly buoys and nets from the fishing and aquaculture industries. “Ghost nets abandoned by fishing fleets kill marine life, which is why fishing vessels should register their nets upon purchase,” recommended Oceans Asia Operations Director Mr. Gary Stokes. “We need more accountability from the fishing industry.” 

NIVA’s Dr. Marianne Olsen highlighted the need to harmonize and standardize sampling, monitoring, and reporting systems to get a clearer view of how much plastic flows into our oceans.

Funded by the Norwegian Development Program to Combat Marine Litter and Microplastics, ASEANO is led by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) Indonesia in close collaboration with the PEMSEA Resource Facility and ASEAN Secretariat under the purview of the endorsing ASEAN sectoral body, the ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME).

The results of the project will be synthesized into a local government training manual, toolkit, and best practices handbook of policy, monitoring tools, and technologies for plastics management that can be used as a reference by local government units in the ASEAN region. The webinar is a run-up to the upcoming East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress, slated for 1 and 2 December 2021.

“We must step up the monitoring of riverine and marine plastic litter to make informed and effective decisions,” concluded Deputy Secretary-General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Ekkaphab Phanthavong. “This event promotes solutions for healthier rivers and coasts in the ASEAN, which is vital because millions of people depend on them for their lives and livelihoods.” 

Asylum seekers - Best countries

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The worst thing a person has to go through in his life is when he realizes he is not safe anymore in his home country, the land where he was born and spent his childhood. Saying your farewell is among the toughest decisions a person has to experience and go through in his life. It’s the hardest decision of your life: to leave your home where you once felt safe and search for a better and safer place to move to for a brighter tomorrow.

For assistance with your application, you can reach out to private asylum lawyers that are extremely experienced in assisting with such cases.

Why do people seek Asylum?

Every year thousands of people migrate from their home country in search of a promising future. Many reasons have forced these people to leave their houses, where they had made tons of memories. Every person has their own story and reasons that made them take this initiative. For some, it’s due to jobs or education, while others are forced to flee persecution or human rights violations. Millions fled due to armed forces crisis or ethnic cleansing, religious issues, and political pressure.

Their journey begins with the hope of a brighter tomorrow. But it was also full of terror and hopelessness. Some people risk falling prey to the human trafficker or other sorts of exploitation, and those who luckily escape them are detained by the government as soon as they arrive in a new country.

The fortunate ones who make it has to deal with racism, Xenophobia, or other sorts of discrimination, while others feel isolated due to the loss of support network that some take for granted.

Wondering why they leave their country if they are suffering? The answer to this question is hope which keeps them going with the thought that the next destination they will land to might be better than the previous one. It might be the one that could help them build a secure optimistic future. Are you an asylum seeker? Or are looking to apply for asylum? We’ve compiled a list of the best Asylum countries.

The list below is among many countries that are welcoming refugees with open arms.
Germany

Germany remains to hold the top position for people seeking asylum. As the number of asylum seeker applications filed exceeded form 100,000 in 2021 which is 35.2% more than last year. People who applied for asylum came from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Of those 40,475 initial applications are from Syria about 57.1%, then from Iraq which 8,531 equal to approximately 22.2%. There is a sharp rise in applications from Afghanistan with a total of 15,045 equal to 138%. The procedure is regulated in the German asylum act. The process consists of multiple steps. That begins with an asylum application, Dublin examination, and the last hearing for the decision of whether you are granted asylum or not.


The U.S.

The United States is also among the list of countries that have received asylum applications. That is approximately 254,300 applications as well as they formally received 1,096,611 migrants into the country in 2018. As for now, the new president of the United States is working on revising the policy on asylum seekers that were put in motion by the previous president Donald Trump and making changes to it to welcome more people who are looking for a place to apply for asylum including immigrants.


Spain

Spain has also officially welcomed 559,998 migrants into the country, which had a 23% substantial increase. The government also received 52745 individuals into the country which is a 73 percent increase from the previous years, most of them are from countries like Morocco, Algeria, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Syria, Cameroon, and Mali.


Japan

Japan is also among the countries that had received 519,638 into the country! This is an increase of 9% from the previous year. Additionally, Japan had received 10,439 applications seeking asylum in 2018, which 45% decreased from the years before. So if you are planning to apply for asylum in Japan, then approval chances are higher due to fewer received applications.


South Korea

South Korea has also received 495,057 immigrants in 2018, which is a 9% increase in acceptance from the previous year. They also received 16,147 applications for asylum, which is 62 percent more than the past year.


Canada

Canada is also one of the best countries to apply for asylum to as it has received 321,045 migrants with a 12 percent increase from the previous year, which shows that they have accepted more refugees than any other country, including the United States. Canada has also received 12% more applications for asylum, which is 12 percent more than the previous year. The number of asylum applications received in 2018 was 55,383.