Metro Manila smoking ban lauded

[Dedworth]

ENVIRONMENT and public health advocates urged millions of Metro Manila residents to support the anti-smoking and littering campaign in the metropolis.

Both the EcoWaste Coalition and Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP) said the smoke-free goal for Manila by 2012 will help prevent tobacco-related diseases among residents as well as transients.

This will further reduce the volume of toxic-laden cigarette butts that are tossed onto streets and street gutters, canals and rivers, the groups said.

The metrowide ban on smoking in public places started last Friday, after a month-long information drive that saw environmental enforcers of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) issuing warnings to 8,792 violators.

As of 6 p.m. Friday, the MMDA has apprehended 249 people for violation of the smoking ban and 189 for anti-littering.

First time offenders will be fined with P500 or eight hours of community service if they are unable to pay. A third offense carries a fine of P10,000.

Earlier, the Philippine Medical Association vowed to send doctors to the streets to inform the public about the hazards of smoking.

“If cigarette butt receptacles are to be provided, we caution the local government units not to accept donations from tobacco companies as they will only use this to gain some advertising mileage,” the EcoWaste and FCAP said.

LGUs must not fall into the ‘green washing’ trap by tobacco companies, which directly flouts our commitment under the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), they said.

The FCTC, which the government ratified in 2005, specifically requires state parties to legislate and implement a comprehensive ban on TAPS, or tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

It is estimated that one Filipino dies in tobacco-related death every 10 seconds, making it an alarming public health crisis according to the WHO.

These include, among others, stroke, cancer, heart attacks, tuberculosis, chronic lower respiratory disease, pneumonia, and diseases that occur around childbirth.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/loc...-lauded-164603

[Moy]

http://www.manilatimes.net/news/nati...oking-ban-set/

A smoking ban is a controversial subject. Those who do not smoke , and have never smoked, often feel like there is no reason not to employ a public smoking ban. Smokers, however, feel like it is a personal right to be able to smoke in public, and the smoking ban issue is important and personal for them.
While this might seem like a new issue, the disagreement surrounding a motion to ban smoking in public places has been around for a while. so basically There are pros and cons on the smoking ban issue. But the most commonly claimed pro is that there are so many scientific medical reasons that smoking in public should be banned. Not only does smoking hurt the person who is smoking, but recent scientific and medical evidence shows that the dangers associated with second hand smoking are extremely serious and relevant. This takes the wind out of the argument that says, "I choose to smoke, and it's only my body I am hurting." When you smoke in public, you are putting everyone around you at risk. This includes the employees of the establishment where you are smoking. Many workers at bars find they are suffering from the same physical symptoms that smokers face because of the impact of second hand smoke at their place of employment.

[Arthur Little]

By WHOM ... you??

Now WHY am I NOT in the least surprised that a thread on this topic has been raised by an EX-SMOKER?

Reminiscent of a similar ban implemented some years ago by former Mayor Duterte of Davao City ... it consistently strikes me as strange how draconian measures - of the sort outlined above - are invariably enforced by power-hungry 'control freaks' who, themselves, ALMOST always turn out to be ex-smokers !!!

[Arthur Little]

it consistently strikes me as strange how draconian measures - of the sort outlined above - are invariably enforced by power-hungry 'control freaks' who, themselves, ALMOST always turn out to be ex-smokers !!!

Believe me ... I'm not taking a deliberate swipe at those who've given-up the 'noxious weed' ... GOOD ON them ... they're to be admired! It's those who adopt a "holier than thou" attitude thereafter, that me off!

[Moy]

Being an ex-smoker means freedom. An ex-smoker has the freedom to sit through a three-hour movie without having to leave for a smoke. An ex-smoker has the freedom to leave the house without worrying that they do not have enough smokes to last the day. An ex-smoker has the freedom to attend any function they wish without wondering how long they will have to go without a smoke, or how they can slip away for a quick smoke. All the little fears and stressors associated with smoking are gone. No longer do the cravings start shortly after the last smoke is put out. No longer does the ex-smoker have to stand out side in the rain, subzero temperatures, or other inclement weather every hour to feed the addiction. Walking into a restaurant becomes a pleasure as the ex-smoker proudly asks for a table in the non-smoking area. The ex-smoker is free of the guilt that is associated with smoking. Most of all the ex-smoker is free to celebrate life, and to experience all that life has to offer without being subject to a small tube of tobacco.

[Terpe]

Hello everyone. My name is Terpe
I am an ex-smoker.
I had my very last puff of a ciggie on December 31st 2010 at 10:30 pm
I will never smoke again. It's disgusting, it's smelly, it's annoying and it's harmful to my health.

Now I am healthy, I smell gorgeous, I stay with my friends at all times and I am richer.

Unfortunately I am MUCH BIGGER, but I have a plan effective from 01 July 20011 to become lighter, sexier and much more desireable.

I agree with any smoking restrictions

[Tawi2]

Ayoko ng sigarilyo,never smoked never will,I hate the stench of smoke on my hair and clothes when I am around a smoker,its an anti-social habit,but its personal choice to do so

[Moy]

Hello everyone. My name is Terpe
I am an ex-smoker.
I had my very last puff of a ciggie on December 31st 2010 at 10:30 pm
I will never smoke again. It's disgusting, it's smelly, it's annoying and it's harmful to my health.

Now I am healthy, I smell gorgeous, I stay with my friends at all times and I am richer.

Unfortunately I am MUCH BIGGER, but I have a plan effective from 01 July 20011 to become lighter, sexier and much more desireable.

I agree with any smoking restrictions

here we go a very good example from Terpe well said

[Moy]

Ayoko ng sigarilyo,never smoked never will,I hate the stench of smoke on my hair and clothes when I am around a smoker,its an anti-social habit,but its personal choice to do so

very ture Tawi2..Mabuhay ka..

[Arthur Little]

It's those who adopt a "holier than thou" attitude thereafter, that me off!

To illustrate the point:

My first wife NEVER smoked in her entire life ... never even put a cigarette to her lips!! Sadly, it didn't prevent her from dying prematurely of cancer. (albeit not of the lung!)

Point IS, throughout our 24 years of marriage, she never, ever nagged at me for enjoying a cigarette after meals ... whereas, by contrast, I knew a bloke ... proper pain in the , he was ... a regular punter at singles' events I later attended - at a time when smoking in pubs, clubs and dance halls was still the norm. He'd sniff the air on entry ... and furtively remove empty ashtrays from whichever vacant table(s) he chose to sit at - making it patently obvious smokers weren't welcome to *join him. Mind you, he needn't have bothered ... because very few folk [if any] ever *did - or wanted to - not even the other non-smokers !!!

[gWaPito]

The authorities will have fun enforcing that one considering nearly every man woman and there dog have a premature death wish (they smoke).

Yes, its there choice but, how about the unfortunates left in wake breathing in there second hand filth...you've only got to ask Doc Alan about that.

Its a habit what totally baffles me.....people take it up knowing full well it can kill you and your loved ones
..crazy

A school friend of mine died of lung cancer....he never smoked...his wife was the smoker...he paid the price, death.......she is still alive and well, smoking...I wonder how she sleeps at night

[Moy]

To be an ex-smoker is to accelerate a natural function. All smokers WILL QUIT. That is a known fact. Sooner or later, all smokers WILL QUIT. Those that wait until they are deathly ill, or wait until they stop breathing surely wish they had quit earlier. For me, being an ex-smoker means that I've taken control of that part of my life. I made a choice to stop smoking -- just as I had chosen to start smoking -- just as I had chosen to addict myself to smoking. I've made that vital change in my life. We all will be ex-smokers someday. Being an ex-smoker today is frankly just better than waiting until tomorrow.

[Arthur Little]

This will further reduce the volume of toxic-laden cigarette butts that are tossed onto streets and street gutters, canals and rivers, the groups said.

... WILL it? I'd say it's MORE likely to have the very OPPOSITE effect!

[Arthur Little]

... the Philippine Medical Association vowed to send doctors to the streets to inform the public about the hazards of smoking.

... what a sheer waste of valuable manpower and resources! People are already aware of these risks. If the PMA has money to spare on crappy propaganda like that, then it ought, INSTEAD, to let doctors, nurses and ancillary workers get on with the job they're paid to do - treating those with serious, life-threatening illnesses - and plough any excess into funding free and/or subsidised care for the most needy.

[raynaputi]

i'm honestly glad that this law was implemented..yeah people who smoke have the right to do so..BUT they should know where to do it..where they are the only ones who can smell the smoke from the cigs they're puffing..i hate that it's the non-smokers who have to adjust for the smokers..that it's the non-smokers who have to go away or avoid the sidewalks wherein there are smokers standing there puffing..every night when i'm having a break at work it really pisses me off..now i can walk at streets without getting the smell of the smoke from the cigs and inhalling it that these smokers are puffing..

[Moy]

well said Raynaputi

[Doc Alan]

Good luck to the Philippines Government in its uphill battle against smoking
Uncritical repetition by copying and pasting this type of news article, followed by a claim that all smokers will quit, does invite a response based on facts !
We all know the risks of lifestyle choices such as smoking. Inaccurate and exaggerated claims, such as one filipino dying every 10 seconds ( two fifths of all deaths ) from smoking don't work ! As in the UK, where statistics are more accurate, but still depend on a doctor concluding in each case that smoking caused death, it's more like one in five.
The Philippines Medical Association has difficulty enough persuading its own members to stop smoking, and treating patients. Taking to the streets to "inform the public about hazards" of smoking is highly unlikely !
A P 10,000 fine for a third smoking offence is unenforceable - most culprits couldn't afford it.
Look outside any UK pub ( those remaining open since the smoking ban and cheaper supermarket alcohol ) and see the number of discarded cigarette butts. Identifying and fining the culprits would be hard.
One in three smokers say they DON'T want to stop. It is an addiction which is not that easy to give up. The health message may be working for older people in the Philippines and UK, but up to a quarter of teenagers and young adults continue to smoke. For them ex-smokers and doctors have little influence. Flogging fags in plain white packages or hiding them under the counter - as proposed in the UK - may have a "counter - intuitive" appeal to continue smoking out of defiance. Peer pressures ( friends, boyfriends, girlfriends ) and role models DO work - either by convincing not to smoke ... or encouraging smoking by example ( Kate Moss, Jeremy Clarkson, Cheryl Cole, Wayne Rooney, members of Aegis Band ... ).

There's no room for complacency in smoking control measures. As always however, I'm careful not to be judgemental. Even with good evidence for harm to themselves and others, threats and attempted state control of any lifestyle choices don't always work. They may be unrealistic or have unintended consequences, like smoking at home and exposing others to passive smoking there. Over-eating , drug and alcohol abuse affect others and are also out of control.

[stevewool]

never ever smoked , but you do get use to people smoking around you still,

[Tawi2]

Snogging a smoker is like licking out an ashtray

[Terpe]

Snogging a smoker is like licking out an ashtray

Thankfully I never done either.

Oddly, even though I have been a smoker, I have never actually had a date or any relationship with a smoker. I guess that must say something.

[stevewool]

so so true.

[raynaputi]

i've had a bf who smokes..but everytime i was with him, he was not allowed to smoke coz i didn't want to go home smelling like i puffed a cigarette too..so if he wanted to smoke when we're out, he had to be far from where i was, where i won't be able to inhale the smoke and it won't get in every inch of me..hahahaha.. i'm sure he had a hard time then!

[Dedworth]

Believe me ... I'm not taking a deliberate swipe at those who've given-up the 'noxious weed' ... GOOD ON them ... they're to be admired! It's those who adopt a "holier than thou" attitude thereafter, that me off!

Hi Arthur - sorry if I've come over as "holier than thou", not intended but I'm fully in favour of any smoking control measures that prevent the rest of us coming home smelling like we've been in an ashtray. Where I live the local council have provided stub it out areas on all the town centre litter bins but recently have been putting offenders who chuck the fag ends on the street before the local Magistrates - £150 fine plus costs seems to be the norm (not sure if it gets a Criminal Record). Becoming free of this wallet and health damaging addiction was the best thing I ever did - now into my 12th year.

[Arthur Little]

Hi Arthur - sorry if I've come over as "holier than thou", not intended

Ah ... not a problem mate! TBH, I wasn't "having a go" at you or any of the folk here who've responded to your thread. I'm sorry if I gave that impression. Indeed, you, Terpe and the others that have quit ... whether 12 years or 6 months ago ... are to be commended for your willpower and determination. Likewise those who have never been tempted to try ...

... it's the guy I referred to in #10 that I couldn't abide. Preaching against the habit was just one of the things about him that irritated me; in short, he didn't exactly set out to win any "popularity contests" and seemed to like nothing better than "putting people down" in all sorts of nasty ways. His forename happened to be Charlie ... and a "proper Charlie" he was/is (as far as I know, he still frequents the [now smoke-free] dance halls of Tayside ... haven't heard he'd "snuffed-it" [pun intended] or anything).

[fred]

This new "law" is hilarious IMO.. The police enforcers must think that Christmas has come early..(normally starts in September) This new kick back and bribe opportunity will create the best paid government sector industry in Asia!!
Picture this.. A smoke free bus terminal in Edsa.. 2000 commuters gasping for a cigarette whilst receiving welcome relief from an oil belching bus exhaust!! The secondary smoke will of course still be provided by 250.000 smoke belching jeeps.
I wonder how the Cigg vendors will make their living now? Perhaps they will become Shabu vendors nalang??
That should keep the Manila population in check now that the cancer risk has been reduced..
You really couldnt make it up!... Anyway...Nice one..
Thanks for the laugh!!

[tanga]

.now i can walk at streets without getting the smell of the smoke from the cigs and inhalling it that these smokers are puffing..

Just wear a face mask so you wont get the smell of the carcinogenic fumes belching from the trikes,jeepneys and buses

[raynaputi]

Just wear a face mask so you wont get the smell of the carcinogenic fumes belching from the trikes,jeepneys and buses

Thanks for the reminder but I know how to prevent inhaling fumes from the trikes, jeepneys, and buses...I just hate the smoke coming from cigarettes since it sticks to my clothes, hair, and even the handkerchief I use to cover my nose and mouth..it's like you don't have any ways getting away from that, even if you try walk in a distance...I don't mind smokers to do their thing, my brother and some of my relatives are smokers (and they aren't allowed to smoke near us especially when the children are around us), I just don't want their attitude wherein they smoke in any place they want to even if they know there are non-smokers there...lots of times that me and my friends experience smokers blowing in front of our face and don't care even if we complain..if you complain, most would just tell you to walk at the other side of the road or just give you a smirk...now I'm glad that they can't smoke freely in the streets and they have to find places wherein it's allowed to do that...

[Doc Alan]

This new "law" is hilarious IMO..
You really couldnt make it up!... Anyway...Nice one..
Thanks for the laugh!!

Some of this " law of unintended consequences " MUST have been made up ! Maybe I was wasting my time spending hours preparing a serious, evidence - based response . But at least safer for me than taking to the polluted streets with other doctors to preach about the perils of smoking ( while handing back discarded cigarette butts to their owners ) ... or dangers of eating too much, drinking to excess, having unprotected sex, abusing drugs, and driving while doing any of these things ... then refusing to treat the culprits !
Well done, Fred, for adding insight, realism and humour

[fred]

Thanks Doc.. It wouldn't be so funny if it wasn`t true!
I`ll give you a quick example.. I needed to get a "smoke test" done in order to re register my SUV..
They put the probe into the exhaust and asked me to leave the engine running for 3 mins,which I did..
Everything was fine and my vehicle passed with flying colours..
I just wonder why they didnt notice that there was zero smoke coming from my exhaust due to the fact that the end of the exhaust was damaged and unattached from the muffler..
The smoke on my car is released just under the back wheel arch!!

Cheers,
Fred.