Baguio gets global award for tobacco control efforts
Baguio City received another global award for its exemplary efforts in reducing tobacco use and protecting public health.
The city was one of the six recipients of the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control for its monitoring efforts in tobacco use reduction as announced by Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, World Health Organization Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and the 108th Mayor of New York City, during the World Conference on Tobacco Control held June 23, 2025 in Dublin, Ireland.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong received the award in ceremonies as part of the conference.
“The City of Baguio humbly and honorably accepts this recognition as a Global Tobacco Control Champion,” Mayor Magalong said. “This honor reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting public health through evidence-based policies and strong partnerships. Together, we have created a community-driven surveillance and education model that upholds every citizen’s right to breathe clean air.”
“As we gather with global leaders in Dublin, we reaffirm our dedication to a tobacco-free future—not only for Baguio, but for all cities working toward health, equity, and sustainable development,” he added.
The city’s award is specifically in the monitoring tobacco use category of the MPOWER strategy by the WHO.
“The City Government of Baguio was specifically recognized for its innovative collaboration with medical schools and the establishment of a public-private monitoring model to track tobacco use. This initiative has set a precedent for national and local surveillance, serving as a model for other local governments pursuing both health and cross-sectoral partnerships,” according to Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The roster of winners for effectively adopting and implementing the MPOWER strategy by the WHO follows:
“M” for monitoring — City Government of Baguio, the Philippines
“P” for protecting people from the effects of smoking — Ukraine Committee on Public Health
“O” for offering individuals support to quit tobacco use — Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India
“W” for warning signs on tobacco products — Ministry of Health and Wellness, Mauritius
“E” for enforcing the law on the prohibition of tobacco advertisements — Ministry of Health, Mexico and Salud Justa Mx (joint award); and
“R” for Raising taxes to discourage the use of the deadly vice — Ministry of Finance, Montenegro.
“The global tobacco control movement is helping save millions of lives and stands as one of the most successful public health efforts in history,” said Mr. Bloomberg. “This year’s award winners demonstrate the real progress that can be achieved when evidence-based policies are implemented and enforced.”
He said “tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death, claiming more than seven million lives each year, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. Despite a global decline in smoking—from 22.8 percent in 2007 to 16.4 percent in 2023—over one billion people worldwide continue to smoke, as the tobacco industry invests billions in marketing, often targeting youth.”
The Bloomberg Philanthropies said that through its efforts, “the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use continues to support the advancement of tobacco control policies in low and middle income countries where nearly 85 percent of tobacco-related deaths occur.”
“The initiative aligns with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and its MPOWER strategies, including monitoring, protecting from secondhand smoke, cessation support, warning labels, advertising bans, and tobacco taxation.”
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control was first launched in 2009 during the World Health Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai. It was last held in 2018 in Cape Town.
“The 2025 awards mark a renewed global commitment to tackling the tobacco epidemic and promoting healthier communities worldwide,” the Bloomberg Philanthropies said.
The award is Baguio’s second international citation for its smoke-free programs.
In 2021, the city government through the Smoke-Free Baguio Task Force (SFTF) received the Healthy Cities Award from the World Health Organization (WHO) under the category of “Sharing Clean Air: Committed to multi-sectoral implementation of smoke-free laws.”
Mayor Magalong, former Coun. Joel Alangsab and members of the SFTF accepted the award during the virtual WHO Awards Ceremony as part of the 9th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) then.The city was cited for the best practices and innovations it adopted and implemented in the community to promote and protect the health of its urban population amid the challenges of the pandemic. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
