Source: The Lancet
From the "Policy & People" section of this week's Lancet (July 12):
http://www.thelancet.com/lancet/User/vol350no9071/news/index.html#philippine
sfear

                     Philippines fear they will be targeted by
                     US tobacco industry 

    The damaging lawsuits in the USA in the past few months may lead 
American tobacco firms to target the huge market of the  Philippines where 
antismoking legislation is nonexistent, health workers have warned. 

                     A government study has been released, which shows that,
of a countrywide sample of 9000 people, 73% of adults and 56% of
children between the ages of 7 and 17 smoke regularly. This figure is up 
from 46% of adults and 22% of children in 1987, and lung cancer is now 
the leading cause of death of Philipino men. 

                     Ruth Gamaro,of the Department of Health said that the
results of the WHOfunded study highlighted the failure of
politicians  to regulate advertising. She also blamed extensive
promotion, the low cost of cigarettes, and the lack of legislation
preventing children from buying or smoking cigarettes. 

                     Rosmarie Erben, WHO, said that the entire Western Pacific
                     region was experiencing the world's greatest increases in
                     smoking. She said: "The big US tobacco companies are
already
                     here in Asia, and I think they will be placing even more
                     emphasis on their operations here as the position in
the States
                     becomes more difficult. They have enough money behind them
                     to put pressure on the government not to hamper their
                     activities. Because of this, antismoking
legislationwhenever it
                     has been suggestedsimply collapses." 

                     Adam Easton, Claire Wallerstein