Baguio City conferred with 2025 Bloomberg Philantrophies Awards for Leading Tobacco Control

Baguio City, Philippines – Baguio City’s efforts in leading tobacco control earned the prestigious Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control (BPAGTC) in 2025.

BPAGTC, according to the Bloomberg Philanthropies (BP), honors governments and NGOs in low- and middle-income countries excelling in WHO’s MPOWER strategies— Monitoring, Protecting, Offering help to quit, Warning, Enforcing, and Raising tobacco taxes.

On June 23, Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Baguio City’s citation under the ‘Monitoring’ category. Additionally, the City of Pines is the only awardee from the Philippines.

Other winners include Ukraine’s Committee on Public Health (‘Protecting people from smoking’), India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (‘Offering help to quit’), and Mauritius’s Ministry of Health and Wellness (‘Warning signs’). Additional winners were Mexico’s Ministry of Health and Salud Justa Mx (jointly for ‘Enforcing the law on the prohibition of tobacco advertisements category’) and Montenegro’s Ministry of Finance (‘Raising tobacco taxes’).

Mayor Benjamin Magalong accepted the award through the virtual WHO Awards Ceremony as part of the 9th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities.

As quoted by the Baguio City Information Office, Magalong expressed that the citation reflects the commitment of the city to protecting public health through evidence-based policies and collaborations.

“Together, we have created a model of community-driven surveillance and education that upholds the right of every citizen to breathe clean air. As we gather with global leaders here in Dublin, we reaffirm our dedication to a tobacco-free future—not just for Baguio, but for every city striving toward health, equity, and sustainable development,” Magalong said.