Local enforcers in Taguig have started implementing the smoking ban in public places and conveyances in the city, in line with the government’s program to protect non-smokers, particularly pregnant women and children, from second-hand smoke that can cause lung cancer and other ailments.
“What we want is a healthier environment for everyone. Smoking has always been a risk to the health of not only the smoker but also to non-smokers. To make this advocacy effective, we are firmly implementing this policy to ensure that every life is protected from the hazardous effects of smoking,” said Mayor Laarni Cayetano.
Cayetano reiterated the city government’s directive for the people to strictly comply with the Anti-Smoking Ordinance, which absolutely prohibits smoking in centers of youth activity; elevators and stairwells; locations in which fire hazards are present; within the buildings and premises of government institutions, offices, and units; public conveyances and places; and in food preparation areas.
In public areas where smoking is allowed in designated areas, establishments are required to put up signage delineating such restricted area.
To give more teeth to the ordinance, the city’s Anti-Smoking Task Force composed of the Sanitation Office, Solid Waste Management Office, City Environment and Natural Resources Office, Traffic Management Office, Business Permits and Licensing Office and Market Management Office will be active in issuing citation tickets to violators.
A fine of up to P1,000 will be imposed on first-time offenders, while an amount of P3,000 is meted out to second-time offenders.
At the third offense, violators will pay a fine of P5,000. Owners of establishments who violated the ordinance for the third time will also pay a fine of P5,000, and will face cancellation of their business permits.
The city government also released a memorandum dated last November 2016, which directed its employees to strictly comply with the 2007 Revised Anti-Smoking Ordinance of the city that absolutely prohibits smoking “within the premises of buildings, offices, and facilities owned, leased, used, or managed by the Taguig City government.”
Under the same memorandum, “No Smoking” signs will be displayed within the vicinity of the government facilities. Violators will be instructed to immediately halt the activity while employees who fail to comply with this directive will be given appropriate sanctions with corresponding penalties.
In May 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 26 which provides for the establishment of smoke-free environments in public and enclosed places.
Cities like Mandaluyong, Caloocan, Navotas, Muntinlupa, Makati, Davao, Dipolog, Legazpi, Maasin, Balanga, Roxas, Iloilo, Marikina and Santiago have also passed an ordinance against smoking, promoting instead the protection of Filipinos from the ill effects of tobacco and cigarette smoke.
Health officials said 10 Filipinos die every hour from diseases related to smoking. Non-smoking adults exposed to second-hand smoke at home or at work have a 25 to 30 percent increased risk of developing lung cancer.
Babies of non-smoking women who are exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy are at risk of experiencing a small reduction in birth weight.
Smoking kills six million people a year worldwide and will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030, according to the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC also reported that cigarette smoking is also responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including nearly 42,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure.