ILOILO City – Local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas are being urged to pass tobacco control ordinances.
“Of the 133 LGUs in Region 6, 72 pa lang ang may ara Comprehensive Tobacco Control Ordinance,” said John Richard Lapascua, senior health program officer of the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6.
These LGUs were from Aklan (10), Antique (10), Capiz (15), Guimaras (three), Iloilo (21), Iloilo City (one), and Negros Occidental (12).
DOH-6’s monitoring of LGUs is being based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control template as “it is more comprehensive and stricter compared to Republic Act 9211, or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003,” said Lapascua.
The following should be among the salient features of a Comprehensive Tobacco Control Ordinance, according to Lapascua:
* smoking is prohibited 10 meters away from public spaces or crowded areas
* selling of cigarettes is prohibited 100 meters away from places usually frequented by minors
* electronic cigarettes are prohibited
* tobacco advertising promotions and sponsorship are prohibited
Lapascua said a Comprehensive Tobacco Control Ordinance will not only benefit the smokers but also the whole community.
“Remember nga wala pa naganubo ang smoking prevalence naton. Ara pa sia gihapon sa one is to four. Sa kada apat ka adult, may isa ka smoker. Indi gid madula ang urge sang isa ka tawo mabakal sang sigarilyo that’s why ang mga tiangge, since may demand, ma-provide man sang supply… and it’s very hard to stop selling cigarette kay ti lucrative sia,” he explained.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, DOH-6 is encouraging Western Visayans to be health-conscious.
“Taking good care of ourselves is really the number one key to prevent deaths from coronavirus diseases… one way nga puede ma-improve ang aton health is to practice good healthy lifestyle and included na diri ang pag-observe sang isa ka smoke-free nga lifestyle,” Lapascua said./PN
