ASOG shares expertise at 3rd Quarter DOH NTWG on tobacco prevention and control

From 6 to 8 August 2025, the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG), through the Ateneo Policy Center, attended the third quarter National Technical Working Group (NTWG) for Tobacco Prevention and Control (TPC) organized by the Department of Health (DOH) — Health Promotion Bureau held in Pampanga City. The NTWG-TPC regularly convenes to review ongoing updates on TPC plans, policies, and programs in line with Department Order No. 2022-0053, which sets the governance framework for implementing the DOH National Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategy (NTPCS) 2030.

The 3rd Quarter NTWG meeting focused on refining the smoke-free and vape-free playbook template ordinance, reviewing accomplishments from World No Tobacco Day and No Smoking Month, drafting preparations for the upcoming 11th Conference of Parties (COP11), and developing the TPC legislative agenda in line with DOH priorities.

The first half of the NTWG meeting was dedicated to an in-depth workshop facilitated by Imagine Law—a public interest law group working for people’s health and welfare—on refining the DOH-developed smoke-free and vape-free template ordinance. The session aimed to identify existing gaps in the ordinance template, strengthen its provisions to ensure long-term and future-proof relevance, and ultimately produce a more comprehensive ordinance. ASOG provided technical expertise particularly on areas of compliance, cessation, and enforcement.

The second half of the NTWG meeting covered accomplishments from World No Tobacco Day and No Smoking Month, preparations for the upcoming 11th Conference of Parties (COP11), and the development of the TPC legislative agenda aligned with DOH priorities.

ASOG presented key updates on the development of the National Tobacco Cessation Infrastructure Plan 2025-2030, which serves as a comprehensive, multi-year action plan that will guide how tobacco cessation services are structured, expanded, and sustained within the health system. The infrastructure plan is a key objective of ASOG’s national smoking cessation project, which seeks to strengthen the capacity of the national health system to deliver tobacco cessation services in line with the NTPCS 2030.

In addition, Mr Adrian Glova and Mr Patrick Encarnacion, newly inducted fellows from the latest cycle of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Policy Development Fellowship, were invited to present their research proposals during the NTWG plenary session.