The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration warned Qatar-bound overseas Filipino workers and Filipino visitors not to carry or bring cigarettes or tobacco products into the Middle Eastern country following its stricter implementation in banning all tobacco products there.
In an advisory, the POEA said Qatar has banned all tobacco derivatives, equipment, and other materials related to tobacco usage.
Among the banned items are chewing tobacco in any form; electronic cigarettes, electronic shisha, and any product similar to it or made in any form of tobacco; Swaika (a substance made from tobacco products that can be taken by absorption, chewing or inhalation); cigarette machines; and advertising, promotion, or sponsorship materials that seek to introduce any tobacco product.
The new law follows crackdowns on tobacco in other Gulf countries. Last year, Saudi Arabia banned smoking in most public places and implemented stricter regulations on the sale of tobacco products, with violators facing fines of up to 20,000 Saudi riyals ($5,331 or around P268,000).
The National Tobacco Control Committee of the United Arab Emirates also announced it is pushing for a blanket ban on smoking in public.
Within the UAE, different emirates have varying regulations for controlling smoking in public and the sale of tobacco. At the start of the year, Sharjah even implemented fines for smoking shisha in public.
The POEA advised all Filipinos traveling to Qatar they could face hefty fines if caught with tobacco.
“OFWs and other passengers entering the State of Qatar will be subject to legal liability if found in possession of banned tobacco derivatives, equipment, and other materials in relation to tobacco usage,” the agency said.