situations. The.-;c relationships conlribulc to our s,!nse of emotional well-being and mental hcnllh. Some people hnvc beliefs ;1rnl prndiccs thnt adversely nffcc L henllh. 11 is, howev~r, difficul L to b. ;ol;11e Lhc cffcc. :ts of <'11 I Lure because nf the com:LI rrcnt in rluences of poverty and i V,nor:111(:u. and the in,1clcquncic;; oft he hc,1ilh care delivery system. Environment and health The envirunrnenl plays. t direct in/lucm:c on the health of people. I'or example, it provides breeding sites for im:ccl vccto rs of tlii;cases like malaria, dcn~uc und filariasis, which are,;till major he;1lth problem:<: in some p,trls of thl! country. An unsanitary environ 111~,11L i:,; al:-o a major fac. :tor i 11 lh. e causution of diarrheal <liscase. c; such us chnlcru and typhuid fl. 'vcr. ll is lite brcctling ground of animals and insects that harbor and tmm:mil microor g;111i~rns. l'vl,1l. 1ria, dengue ;inti filari,tsis ctre still m,ijor problems in many part. s of the co1111tr_v. Jn the environment could he found toxic substances such as lead, mercury, asbestos, pesticides. lobaccu,solvent. ". ind PC13s. These could adversely affecthuman ·reproduction, the br..iin,111cl i111m1:ne <;ystcm i111d C<. Jul<l cause c;111ct'r (Necdle111;m and Landrigan, i994). Tohac. :c-n partit:ularly is a major thre. i~ lo health because it co11l<1i11s over 4000 chemicals (in. cludin~ hydrogen cyanide. sulfur dioxide. carbon monoxide, ammonia, fornrnldch~·dc, nrsenie. bcnzc-nc, chromium, lead, nitrosamines. benz:opyr ene, nicotine, cndmit UTl,md c;1rbon monoxides) many of wl1ich are irrilanls. carcinogens and mutagens. 1oxins rmcl substances I. hat increase blood pressure, promote h1mors, affect the heart and brain, dam<1ge the hmgs and cc1use kidney and reproductive malfuncti ons (f,'rarnework Conventio n on Tohnc;co Con trc)l Alli,mce, Philippines). The increase of carbon dioxide, m<,!lhnne and nitrous oxide (mnong other gases) in the eartl1's atmosphere has depleted the !">7. (me layer. The deterioration of the ecosystem has been implicnled in the rapid increase of cancer cases and other health problems throughout the world. Specifically, there is n rise in cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation, surface ail-temper::iture and carbon dioxide. The denudntion of our forests lrns c Hrectly and indirectly resulted in many healtb problems. Rivers have dried up or are extreme ly polluted, thus depriving many people of their m::ijor source of djetnry protein. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War estimates that millions of cancer cases will result from the nuclear testing conducted in the past. The WHO also estirn. ates about 20,000 deaths a year in the world dnc to pesticide poisoning alone (Philipp ine Breast Cancer Ne. twork, 1997). The so-called El Ni1io and La Ni,ia phenomena whicl1 have been caused by in~ults to the environment have caused thousands of deaths due to disasters (Nash, 1998). The state of the world's environmen1 is tl1e direct t·esult of the interaction of a number of factors such as Ludustrializ. ation, government policies, poverty ancl an uncaring attitude towaxds th. e environment. Politics and health Policies reflect the priorities of government and the,·alue system of policy makers. The health budget is the most concrete expressio n of t J1e go\'ernment's political,. vill. Many Fili)'linos do not hnve full access to basic health goods and services because of the sevcrclv limited health cnrc financing. In 1999, the amount spent for health was only 3-'-1% ·of the gross national product, lower than Vl HO-recommended 5%. This 21 