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Filipinos find ways to continue a dying habit

Smokers thought they would no longer enjoy the nightlife in trendy Makati City after the local government enforced the toughest anti-smoking policy in the Philippines three years ago.

With a strict smoking ban, restaurants, bars, discos, cafes, hotels, shopping malls and cinemas in the Manila suburb were forced to shun smoking patrons to avoid being penalized or even shut down by authorities.

"It was a nightmare at first," said a 28-year-old artist working at an advertising agency in Makati City who swears he cannot enjoy a cup of coffee or go out drinking with friends without cigarettes.

"We didn't know where we could smoke then," he added, dragging on his 10th cigarette in two hours. "There were no-smoking signs everywhere! I even contemplated on resigning and finding a job outside Makati."

But he did not quit or move and again enjoys frequenting Makati's nightspots.

Since the city considered Manila's financial center enforced an ordinance aimed at stubbing out smoking in all public and enclosed areas, smokers have found new hangouts there that not only keep them from breaking the law but also have sparked a new trend.

Faced with serious profit losses because of the smoking ban, many restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels in Makati City have put up outdoor extensions of their establishments where smokers can light up all they want without facing stiff penalties.

Such alfresco sections have turned out to be popular options to setting up separate and enclosed rooms exclusively for smokers inside the establishments, which the law allows.

From simple tables and chairs, some establishments now offer cozy sofas and lounge chairs for outdoor dining and hanging-out -- which have become so popular that oftentimes, it's even harder to get seats outside than inside.

Even non-smokers want to dine under the stars.

"All our patrons usually choose to be seated at our patio section whether they are smokers or not," said a waiter at People's Palace, a Thai restaurant in Makati's Greenbelt 3 where large brown sofas and candles add to the open-air ambience.

"If there's no more space outside, customers can choose to eat inside first and just transfer when there are vacant seats," he added.

Ethel Sy -- a supervisor at the nearby Cafe Breton, which serves crepes, coffee and cocktails -- said it was puzzling how customers would rather wait for tables outside even on humid days than sit inside where there is air conditioning.

"Guests would even beg us to bring more tables and chairs outside," said Sy, a former smoker. "Even when it's raining, they still want to be seated outside. It's unbelievable, but there are still many smokers in Makati."

Sy said anti-smoking agents of the Makati City government used to make surprise visits to check if establishments were following the smoking restrictions.

"They would even test us and ask for an ashtray even when they were inside," she said. "But we never allow smoking inside because several restaurants here have been closed down for failing to follow the ban."

The trend in Makati is fast catching on in other suburban cities in the Philippines, where about 35 per cent of the population continue to smoke despite the health dangers associated with the habit.

Health experts hailed Makati City's campaign as a model formulation of the national Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, which regulates tobacco use, sales, distribution and advertising.

But they noted that many local government units still need to beef up enforcement of their anti-smoking policies.

"Some local government units lack the commitment in enforcing the anti-smoking policies because the leaders who are supposed to be the primary movers in the implementation of the strategies are themselves smokers," said a World Health Organization program officer who is working with the Philippine health department in its anti-smoking campaign.

The program officer added that the proliferation of sidewalk cafes and open-air sections to accommodate smokers in Makati was still not an ideal situation.

"Ideally, it's not a step in the right direction because that would mean that a lot of people are still smoking," he said.

"It's not a happy compromise," he added. "It's something legal that we have to live with for now, but eventually, we can probably address this more aggressively when we get to be more successful in our awareness campaign and advocacy campaigns."
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