Remember the Department of Health’s Yosi Kadiri ads back in the ’90s? The campaign discourages smoking by casting it as a social taboo. Yosi Kadiri was a cigarette mascot that represented smokers and the bad effects of smoking. In the commercials before, the mascot was rejected by the public because it stank and was unhealthy — depicting the possible effects of smoking. This campaign was only effective to some degree because there were also counter-campaigns made by other tobacco manufacturers.
On the other hand, this campaign is making a comeback this year! (And most likely to be more effective than before.) Senator Manny Pacquiao is part of the new commercial wherein he beats up the mascot in a boxing match. Watch it here:
The Department of Health and the Department of Finance had a conference last May 17 on reviving the campaign while also pushing for the passage of Senate Bill 1599 in Congress. The bill seeks to enhance the Sin Tax Reform Law by increasing taxes for tobacco and liquor.
As per the Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, if the bill is not passed, the DoF and the DOH will not be able to sustain the Universal Health Care Act. And if passed, the bill would see an additional Php 60 price increase for every pack of cigarettes and another Php 50 for every liter of alcoholic beverage.
What do you think about this campaign? Share your thoughts on the comments section!
