ASOG signs MOU with DOH to strengthen collaborative efforts on tobacco control

The Ateneo School of Government (ASOG), through the Ateneo Policy Center (APC), entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Health - Health Promotion Bureau (DOH HPB) at the Pacifico Ortiz Hall, Ateneo School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City on 1 July 2024. Representatives from the DOH HPB, ASOG, Vital Strategies (VS), and the Tobacco Prevention and Control Policy Development Fellowship (TPC PDF) Advisory Board and Fellows were in attendance during the event.

The MOU serves as a reaffirmation of ASOG’s partnership with the DOH in advancing tobacco control policy in the Philippines. Both organizations are committed to bolstering DOH’s Tobacco Prevention and Control agenda through policy research, training, and other policy uptake activities guided by the National Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategy 2030 (NTPCS 2030). Along with this, they promise continued endeavors to collaborate with other allied tobacco control stakeholders.

The program also featured messages from various representatives in attendance, including Director Rodley Desmond Daniel Carza of DOH HPB who affirms in his speech their commitment to work closely with ASOG through its inaugural fellows and their research endeavors to advance evidence-based policymaking and stronger tobacco control measures in the country. Ms. Ivyrose Baysic, Head of APC also share a similar sentiment, stating the importance of policy and advocacy for the better health of the population. To warp it all up, Mr. Reiner Lorenzo Tamayo, Junior Technical Adviser of VS, congratulated both organizations for their commitment to the cause and shared his hope for their continued collaboration. 

Alongside the MOU signing, the ASOG officially launched the TPC PDF program to introduce its inaugural fellows and their mentors. The TPC PDF Launch is the first of a series of events lined up for ASOG’s newest set of promising policy research fellows. With the goal of promoting better health outcomes for all Filipinos, ASOG, in partnership with the DOH, is committed to continue curbing preventable deaths caused by the smoking epidemic through the generation of evidence to inform tobacco control policymaking.