MANILA, Philippines—Every June, the Philippines celebrates No Smoking Month, during which Filipinos are being encouraged to stop smoking or consuming tobacco products.
Worldwide, the movement to stop smoking has gained momentum but it would be interesting to know how the now much-derided cigarette came to being.
In 1942, Italian explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus first encountered dried tobacco leaves after it was given as a gift from native Americans.
The Philippines, according to the Department of Agriculture, started cultivating tobacco plants after Augustinian friars brought 6.1289 kilograms of cigar tobacco seeds in as part of …
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