Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Thursday approved an ordinance raising the fine for smoking violators in the city from P500 to P5,000 and a three-day imprisonment as he led the observance of the “World No Tobacco Day” at the Manila City Hall.
Estrada, who himself quit smoking two years ago, signed City Ordinance 7812, which revises the penalties for smoking in public places.
He also directed all concerned City Hall officials, including police and barangay officers, to strictly implement Manila’s smoking ban in a bid to lessen the risk of illnesses caused by using cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The former President said smoking is prohibited in government offices, schools, hospitals, shopping malls, enclosed spaces, and other public areas.
The strict implementation of the no-smoking ordinance in Manila is in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order mandating the same, Estrada said.
The mayor also reminded everyone that smoking is bad for the health, citing a survey that 17 persons die every hour from diseases related to smoking such as lung cancer, heart disease, esophagus and mouth cancers, and others.
The Philippine College of Chest Physicians also said some 900,000 Filipinos are suffering from various ailments due to second-hand smoke, Estrada noted.
According to health experts, tobacco, when smoked, is considered as one of man’s greatest killers. Every year, 87,600 Filipinos die of smoking-related ailments, including lung cancer and chronic lung diseases.
Estrada said he wants to set a good example for young people by not smoking.
“I stopped smoking, not just little by little but cold turkey. I suddenly stopped,” the mayor said.
Estrada reiterated his call to all Manilenos to support the government’s initiatives and encouraged the people to stop smoking so the program would succeed and benefit the most people.
A study done by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute showed that 47 percent of Filipino males and 16 percent of females are smokers, one of the highest rates worldwide. Moreover, one in three Filipino minors are already smoking by age 14.
Manila hopes to contribute much in decreasing these numbers, Estrada said.
The World Health Organization said that World No Tobacco Day was commemorated to focus on the impact tobacco has on the cardiovascular health of people globally.