Ateneo School of Government holds the first session of the Framework Planning Workshop for the National Tobacco Cessation Infrastructure Plan, 2025-2030

On 23 April 2025, the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG), through the Ateneo Policy Center (APC), conducted the first session of the Framework Planning Workshop for the National Tobacco Cessation Infrastructure Plan 2025-2030 at B Hotel Quezon City. The workshop marked the first step in a series of efforts aimed at developing a comprehensive framework for the National Tobacco Cessation Infrastructure Plan. Partners from the Department of Health (DOH)–Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, Health Promotion Bureau, Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau, Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service, the Lung Center of the Philippines, and Vital Strategies were in attendance. 

Morning Session

Mr Alen Santiago, Program Manager of the Tobacco Control and Governance (TCG) program of ASOG, opened the morning session with a brief background on the National Tobacco Cessation Infrastructure Plan.

Ms Marcia “Chuki” Feria-Miranda, the Planning Consultant for the project, led the program as the workshop facilitator. She presented best practices of tobacco cessation from other countries, providing the attendees a more informed understanding of possible policy levers for tobacco cessation that may also prove effective in the Philippine context.

Dr Anatoly de los Santos of the DOH – Disease Prevention and Control Bureau provided a brief overview of Administrative Order 2021-0031, entitled “Guidelines on the Implementation of Unified and Standardized Tobacco Cessation Services at All Levels of Care,” which outlines key roles and responsibilities of various DOH bureaus in fulfilling critical tasks for cessation activities in the Philippines. Together with Ms. Feria-Miranda, Dr. de los Santos led the evaluation and scoring of current national cessation activities according the National Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategy 2030.

Mr Santiago continued the morning session by presenting previous studies exploring various cessation topics conducted by the TCG core team and research fellows to provide the rationale for developing the infrastructure plan. 

Afternoon Session

The afternoon session was dedicated to several brainstorming activities led by Ms Feria-Miranda. She guided the discussion on identifying key components of an effective and comprehensive tobacco cessation infrastructure framework. Dr de los Santos advised the group that the framework they commit to adapt for the project must be applicable to the Philippine context. Afterwards, attendees co-created and developed the Key Result Areas (KRAs) for the National Tobacco Cessation Infrastructure Plan, then mapped out key stakeholders who could play a vital role in the development and implementation of the infrastructure plan. It is from this stakeholder mapping activity that the core team and the attendees were able to identify more allies and potential partners to tap for the development of the infrastructure plan.

The workshop concluded by focusing on the next steps after the workshop. The group co-created a project calendar from May to September to outline the projected activities and meetings. Notably, the group committed to hold a second session of the workshop, which will include various stakeholders outside of the DOH, including partners from national government agencies, civil society organizations, non-government organizations, local government units, hospitals, centers for health and development and more.

Next Steps

The Framework Planning Workshop marks the first installment in a series of activities to develop a comprehensive framework for the National Tobacco Cessation Infrastructure Plan 2025-2030. A follow-up workshop, which will include a more diverse set of stakeholders, will be held on 8 to 9 May 2025.