Dr. Fulbert Alec Gillego, Legazpi City Health Office chief (Photo by Connie Calipay)
LEGAZPI CITY – Maintaining the image of Legazpi as a smoke-free environment, the City Health Office (CHO) here on Monday said it will soon start the search for outstanding establishments with regard to the implementation of the health ordinance.
In a press conference, Dr. Fulbert Alec Gillego, City Health Officer, said the implementation of the city’s smoke-free ordinance is a shared responsibility among different groups like religious organizations, national government agencies, business sector, law enforcers, with CHO as the lead implementing office.
"We want everybody in the community to know that the smoke-free ordinance is still in effect and we are here to implement one of the most important ordinances of Legazpi City in terms of health regulation," Gillego said.
He said that for the past two years, the search for smoke-free establishments was stopped because of the restrictions due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
“We are not banning smoking but we are only regulating it in Legazpi,” he said.
Legazpi City’s Smoke-Free Program started with the implementation in 2009 of Ordinance No. 0007-2009 or the revised smoke-free measure authored by former councilor and now Board Member Roly Rosal.
Gillego said the city's smoke free committee has added some criteria that must be complied with by establishments to be awarded as 100-percent compliant.
"As a requisite in the selection, establishments must not have violated the smoke-free ordinance and have a valid business permit. As to the criteria, the establishments must not have the selling of any tobacco product, comply with non-smoking signage, non-visible cigarette butts within the establishment and perimeter, non-advertisement of a cigarette butt brand, carry information and advocacy initiative, non-designation of a smoking area, and no visible and ashtrays/bins in the vicinity of the establishment," he added.
Gillego also said the search does not only cover business establishments but also the academe, universities, schools, barangay halls, hospitals, and offices.
For 2022, the inspection of different establishments will begin in July and the awarding for the 100 percent smoke-free compliant establishments will be in August.
Jose Balbin, leader of the Legazpi City Smoke-Free Enforcing Team, said his office will continue to regularly conduct inspections in different establishments.
Meanwhile, Gillego said they are planning to draft a new ordinance to be presented to the Sangguniang Panglungsod that will include banning vaping in public places.
For three consecutive years from 2010 to 2013, the city government of Legazpi was a recipient of the Red Orchid and a Hall of Fame awards from the Department of Health (DOH) for its effective implementation of the anti-cigarette smoking campaign. (PNA)
