The Metro Manila Development Authority will join local government units, the police and other agencies in apprehending individuals violating the National Smoking Ban.
MMDA enforcers will also monitor vendors or owners of establishments who will violate the ban on the sale of cigarettes within 100 meters of schools and other youth recreational facilities, and those posting promotional materials for tobacco products.
Dr. Loida Alzona of the MMDA Health Public Safety and Environment Protection said violators will be penalized in accordance with Republic Act No. 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003.
She said those caught smoking in public areas will be fined P500 to P1,000 for the first offense, P1,000 to P5,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 to P10,000 for the third offense.
“Sari-sari stores are prohibited from posting signages even if they are outside the 100 meters. 100 meters is around three basketball courts. They will be fined P100,000 first offense, P200,000 second offense and third offense P400,000 and closure of the establishment,” said Alzona.
Government offices and public transport terminals—jeepney, tricycle and bus stations are covered by the ban.
MMDA officials said the public should not hesitate to report smokers doing their thing in public places and conveyances. They added smokers put other people at risk to the dangers of secondhand smoke.
An MMDA study showed that non-smoking adults exposed to second-hand smoke at home or at work have a 25 percent to 30 percent increased risk of developing lung cancer.
Babies of non-smoking women who are exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy are also at risk of experiencing a small reduction in birth weight.
In infants and children, second-hand smoke exposure causes sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, middle ear disease, more severe asthma, respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth.
Meanwhile, various civil society and environmental groups urged President Rodrigo Duterte to call for the strict enforcement of Executive Order 26, also known as the “Smoke-Free Executive Order”.
The groups include Health Justice Philippines, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, New Voice Association of the Philippines, Philippine Cancer Society, Ang Nars, Ecowaste Coalition, Medical Action Group, Woman Health, and Hope for the Youth Foundation.
The executive order, signed by President Duterte on May 23, imposes a nationwide smoking ban in public and sets guidelines for establishing designated smoking areas. The order took effect on July 22.
The EO is designed to protect the public from secondhand smoke, which is known to increase the risk of developing lung cancer. The Philippines, a Party to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, is obligated to enact smoke-free laws that will protect the people from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke.
Furthermore, the groups are calling for significant increases in tobacco taxes.
“We call on President Duterte to advise the Congress to take urgent action to significantly increase tobacco taxes.
Although the World Health Organization recognizes tobacco tax as one of the most cost-effective ways to discourage the youth from smoking and encourage current users to quit or reduce consumption, tobacco tax in the Philippines is still one of the lowest in the world. It must be raised to a level at which it can effectively prevent Filipinos, especially the youth, the poor, and other marginalized groups, from smoking,” the groups said.
The cost of treating tobacco-related diseases outweighs government revenues in tobacco taxes. In 2015, the former set the Philippine economy back by P204.40 billion. Excise tax collection in 2016, meanwhile, amounted to P163.5 billion.
Exposure to tobacco smoke remains a leading cause of cancer among Filipinos. In the Philippines, 240 people die every day due to smoking-related diseases.
According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 13.7 percent of students aged 13-15 in the Philippines are current users of tobacco products, and 8.9 percent of them are smokers.
