DOH-LTFRB 'No-Si' project cracks down on smoking in PUVs

Commuters in Metro Manila can now breathe air free of cigarette smoke inside public utility vehicles (PUVs) – buses, jeeps and taxis – after authorities started a crackdown on smoking. Radio dzBB reported Friday morning that health and transportation authorities expect both drivers and passengers to cooperate with the program. Dubbed "No-Si" (No to Sigarilyo/No to cigarettes), the program is a joint effort of the Department of Health (DOH) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). The program bans smoking both inside PUVs, as well as in their terminals. Under the program, drivers or conductors should tell passengers to stop smoking inside their vehicles, or have them get off. On the other hand, passengers can report smoking drivers or conductors to the LTFRB text hotline at 0921-4487777.

A first offense will net a P500 fine, while a second offense will merit a P5,000 fine and the suspension of franchise for drivers and conductors. The third offense will result in a P10,000 fine and the cancellation of their franchise. But jeep driver Leo Bunagan, who plies a route near EDSA Crossing, said it remains to be seen if the program can be sustained. "Tutukan yan, yan lang ang masasabi ko diyan. Tutukan ng grupo kung yan ang kagustuhan ng ating gobyerno (Government should sustain that program. That's all I can say. Concerned groups should also monitor the progress of that program)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV