CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Mandaue City Government has made a call to strictly ban smoking in public places.
Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes issued a memorandum circular directing all department heads in the city and the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) to enforce the smoking ban in these offices.
“All heads of offices are enjoined to strictly implement this order and immediately prohibit smoking among employees and the general public in their respective premises,” Cortes said in the memorandum dated November 29, 2019.
The memorandum was posted in the official Facebook page of the Mandaue City’s Public Information Office.
The smoking ban is not just limited to the offices.
It also applies to staircases, grounds, yards, walkways, comfort rooms, parking areas, rooftops and government-owned vehicles.
The smoking ban in government premises only follows the memorandum circular, which was issued by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in 2009.
Cortes cited the Philippine Clean Air Act and President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order in 2017, which prohibit smoking in public spaces, in explaining his decision to implement the ban.
Cortes also ordered the city’s Business Permit and Licensing Office, City Health Office, Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team), Janitorial and Security Services Unit (JASSU) and the MCPO to help in carrying out the smoking ban inside business establishments and public places.
Last November, President Duterte announced the ban on the use and importation of vapes following the confirmation of the Department of Health (DOH) of the first e-cigarettes in Central Visayas. / celr