2nd in a row, for smoke-free LGU: Iloilo City wins 2013 Red Orchid award

CEBU, Philippines - The Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Taskforce (ICAST), for the second year in a row, has won the 2013 Red Orchid Award for smoke-free local government unit, which passed the national validation conducted by the Department of Health and non-government organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance-Philippines (FCAP).

The Iloilo City government received the award yesterday (June 13) during ceremonies in Cebu City where it received a trophy and P100,000 worth of drugs and medicines for non-communicable diseases.

ICAST director Inigo Garingalao said Iloilo deserved the award because of its campaign against illegal smoking and strict enforcing of the City's Regulation Ordinance 2006-150 (Comprehensive Anti Smoking Ordinance of Iloilo City).

Garingalao said ICAST has been conducting orientation seminars and information caravans in private and public schools and establishing cessation clinics for smokers who want to quit smoking. Its campaign has been focused more on minors, especially students, because 54 percent of the apprehended violators of the ordinance were the youths.

"Our campaign is not only apprehending violators of the ordinance but also informing the public of bad effects of smoking through different programs, activities, and even hanging of posters and tarpaulins bearing warning pictures, among others," Garingalao said.

In 2012, Iloilo City won the Red Orchid Award on the first time it joined the regional and national validations as part of the World No Tobacco Day observance. (FREEMAN)