MANILA - A new law requiring tobacco companies to put graphic health warnings on cigarette packs took effect Sunday, officials said.
The legislation put the country among more than 40 nations or territories to have adopted similar regulations in recent years.
President Aquino, a smoker who has refused to give up the habit despite calls from health advocates, signed the law to boost public awareness of smoking hazards, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said.
Graphic photos showing the bad effects of smoking would be printed on the bottom half of a cigarette pack's front and back panels.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in three Filipinos aged 15 years and above are smokers, and 240 die each day from smoking-related diseases.