National smoking ban to follow Davao scheme

MANILA, Philippines - The stricter anti-smoking executive order that President Duterte promises to sign after his trip in China would follow the Davao City model.

“If you want to smoke, then find a place where it is allowed,” Duterte said.

He stressed smoking should not be allowed inside a building, even if a separate cubicle for smokers is provided.

Duterte said an enclosed cubicle for smokers “is not good enough” in fighting health risks of smoking.

“(Providing a) cubicle is not the way (to do it). (Smoking) must be outside a building,” he said.

Duterte is set to sign the executive order banning smoking in public.

The forthcoming EO is seen as among the toughest anti-tobacco laws in Southeast Asia.

Duterte had been mayor of Davao for most of the past two decades, before winning presidential elections in a landslide in May and being sworn in on June 30.

A former prosecutor, Duterte became well known for bringing relative peace and order in Davao City for his tough stand against drugs and criminality.

Davao City has strict rules against smoking in public while imposing curfew on minors and limiting karaoke singing at certain hours.

Duterte has also implemented a total ban on the use of firecrackers in the city.

The President said he would also tackle in his next Cabinet meeting the proposal to ban firecrackers nationwide.

Public health campaigners who have long battled against the country’s hefty tobacco lobby welcomed the push to end smoking in public places.