Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is this month to ban smoking in public, the Philippine Department of Health said yesterday, further strengthening some of the toughest tobacco regulation in Asia.
The firebrand leader has waged a ruthless law-and-order campaign since July that has left more than 3,000 people dead and, as a long-time mayor of the southern city of Davao, he imposed curfews on minors and banned public alcohol sales at night and shirtless men.
The upcoming law is in addition to legislation banning tobacco advertising and regulating smoking in indoor public places, as well as a statute that requires graphic images of smoking health hazards to be printed on cigarette packaging.
“There has been a significant reduction in smoking, but the reduction has been slow,” Philippine Assistant Secretary of Health Eric Tayag told reporters.
“We want to have in place all the tools that are needed to expand this campaign,” he added.
Tayag said the new drive was prompted by Duterte who, in 2002, banned smoking in all public places in Davao.
The WHO said 20.6 percent of the Philippine population smoked as of 2013, 10 years after a tobacco regulation act was passed.
The country of 101 million also remained one of 15 nations worldwide with a heavy burden of tobacco-related ill health, the WHO said.
The existing law bans smoking in indoor public places including government buildings, hospitals and schools, as well as public transport.
Bars and nightclubs are required to set aside designated smoking areas, but smoking outdoors is not regulated.
Tayag said the planned executive order would plug that gap by only allowing smoking outdoors at the back of buildings “where there are no people.”
It will authorize municipal and city governments to impose penalties that could include prison terms, fines, community service or a combination of the three, he added.
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