Philippines: Asean to Observe Implementation of Davao City''s New Smoking Law
Source from: Business Mirror (ph) 04/09/2013
Government leaders from seven Asean member-countries have formed an observers' mission here to take lessons on how the city government implements its own brand of a no-smoking ordinance, after this city gained prominence when it strictly enforced a similar ban 10 years ago.
Dr. Domilyn Villareiz, chief of the anti-smoking unit of the city, said all 10 Asean countries, except Brunei Darusallam, Singapore and Myanmar are expected to be in the city by July, which would be two months into the implementation of City Ordinance 0367-2.
The new local law allows only smoking zones outside of the business establishments which want to put up one for their own smoking clients.
The old law, City Ordinance 043-02, allowed segregating an area even inside the business establishment for smokers although several provisions were criticized as being stern, including a ban on smoking in the sidewalks.
The implementation of the old law 11 years ago was also witnessed by local government leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam, and covered by a Japanese television.
The first ordinance that came out in 2002 banned smoking in cemeteries, especially during All Souls' and All Saints' Day, and in sidewalks. Drivers and passengers in private vehicles were also prohibited from smoking in all public thoroughfares.
Villareiz said the city has earned a reputation for a no-nonsense implementation of the smoking ban, and has been appropriately announced to all visitors of the city by flag carrier Philippine Airlines in all its flights to Davao City. She said she would also request the other airline companies to announce the same information to all their city-bound passengers.
The ordinance passed in November last year, with an executive order already issued to effect its implementation, required the smoking area to be at least 10 meters away from the entrance or exit or any other areas in the building where people pass.
"There should be no food peddled in these smoking areas that would expose non-smokers to the smoke," she told the regular Monday press conference at the SM City here.
The new law also includes all electronic cigarette and water pipes. It also banned selling of cigarettes in and near "accommodation and entertainment establishments and public buildings."
Like the national law against smoking in public places, violators would be booked for violation of the law and have to wait for summons on second offense. The first offense would only require an admission of guilt to be allowed to avail themselves of paying only a fine of P500. The old ordinance discarded fine in favor of an immediate court case.
Villareiz said that during the last decade of the implementation, there was a yearly decline of 1 percent in the number of smokers in the city. She said cigarette distributors also indicated a sharp decline in the number of smokers during the first few years of the law's implementation.
Meanwhile, a solon concerned with the number of smokers who continue to smoke said the implementation of the controversial "sin" tax law would be a great help to warn Filipinos against the dangers of smoking to their health.
Studies show that about 600 million people worldwide already live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but its prevalence is predicted to rise to become the world's third leading cause of death by 2020.
At present, COPD kills more than 2.75 millions of people every year, and is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that of the 1.2 billion cigarette smokers in the world, one smoker dies every 6.5 seconds due to cancer, heart and lung diseases.
The WHO also projects that the number of male smokers will rise modestly from 1 billion to 1.1 billion by 2030.
Party-list Rep. Catalina Bagasina, of Association of Laborers and Employees said the primary reason for the recent implementation of the sin tax is to prevent people from smoking.
Governments around the world have spent millions of dollars in the fight against diseases caused by smoking, which are otherwise preventable, she said.
"It is estimated that one out of every five Filipinos may be suffering from COPD, which, being a chronic disease, entails a long-term, if not life-time, treatment," Bagasina said. Enditem
