CEBU’S local government units should enact an ordinance to ban smoking within their areas if only to reduce the incidence of lung cancer and other types of cancer.
Ligaya Moneva, education officer of the Regional Department of Health (DOH-7), said the incidence of smoking-related ailments like lung cancer will decrease if local officials take the lead and ban smoking within their jurisdiction.
Moneva made her appeal during yesterday’s annual observance of World No Tobacco Day.
She said Negros Oriental has been declared a smoking-free province in Central Visayas since December 12, 2012.
Violators are fined and their violations will make it difficult for them to find jobs in the province, Moneva said.
Leaders
“It will always start with the LGUs, regardless of political color because they are the leaders of the people,” she said.
In Cebu, Moneva said Tuburan town’s smoking ban ordinance is now on its second reading.
The towns of San Remigio and Tabuelan are also drafting an ordinance to ban smoking in their municipalities.
Moneva said a World Health Organization study showed that every hour, 10 Filipinos die from tobacco-related ailments.
About 240 persons die everyday and 88,000 Filipinos die every year.
She said the top five tobacco-related ailments include lung cancer, diabetes, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Josette Navarro, former tobacco consultant and now licensing officer, said tobacco products used to contain 4,000 chemicals in a single stick.
Now, there are 7,000 chemicals per stick and every stick can cause 70 kinds of cancer, she said.
In Cebu City, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) is offering counseling and other interventions for smokers.
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