Ni: Charina Clarisse L. Echaluce
Sinimulan ng youth leaders mula sa iba’t ibang unibersidad sa bansa ang social media campaign na humihikayat sa mga Pilipino na huwag iboto ang mga senador na kontrabida sa kalusugan sa eleksiyon sa 2019.
Binansagan sina Senador Sonny Angara at Sen. Ralph Recto na “pro-smoking and anti-health senators” dahil sa patuloy na pagtanggi na isama ang pagtaas ng buwis sa tabako sa tax reform bill, inilunsad ng mga kabataang lider ang kampanya sa pamamagitan ng Facebook Live sa Youth for Sin Tax Movement page at gamit ang hashtag #ZeroVotes4AntiHealth2019.
“Those who will not support the increase in cigarette tax do not deserve a seat in the senate in the coming years.
With everyone present today and all the health warriors in the country, we shout, Zero Votes for Anti-Health Senators in 2019!” pahayag ni Benjie Aquino, chairperson ng University Student Council of the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
“Sen. Angara said the inclusion of a higher cigarette tax in the tax reform package under TRAIN [Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion bill] is not possible. Yet, he opened up discussions in the committee on the coal tax, cosmetic surgery tax, and other tax measures that are not in the original tax reform bill and was ably supported by Recto,” dagdag ni Joel Estoesta ng Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, National President ng Sigaw ng Kabataan Coalition at isa sa mga organisasyon sa Youth for Sin Tax Movement.
Para sa youth advocates, ang dalawang senador ay “virtually promoting smoking among the youth.”
“If the senators will not increase tobacco tax now, there will be 200,000 new smokers in 2018. Most of them are young Filipinos like us, whose lives will be eventually lost to deadly diseases that could be avoided if the senators listen to our appeal to raise tobacco tax now,” diin ni Estoesta.
