DOH: Report anti-smoking violators via text

The public can now report violations of the government’s anti-smoking campaign simply by texting "NOSI" to 2256. The NOSI (No to Yosi) campaign is a project of the Department of Health (DOH) Center for Health Development in Metro Manila. Aside from "texting" or Short Message System (SMS), the public can also report smoking ban violators by calling 661-3747 or logging on to www.nosi.com.ph. For texters, after sending the keyword "NOSI" to 2256, the sender will receive a confirmation message from the DOH. The sender will be asked for information about the incident, such as: - the name of the establishment or the license plate of the public transport - date and time the incident happened, and - address of the establishment or the route of the public transport. The mobile service is open to Globe, Smart and Sun network subscribers. Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act prohibits “smoking in public places like hospitals and clinics, schools, elevators and stairwells, public facilities including airports and train stations, and food preparation areas." Health undersecretary Alex Padilla said the DOH will process reports of tobacco violations and forward these either to local governments or the Department of Justice for immediate action. Violators may be penalized with a fine of P10,000 and their business permits and licenses to operate may be cancelled or revoked. Padilla said the DOH is aiming for a 100% smoking ban because smoking areas, usually found in public establishments like restaurants, are "deceiving." Non-smoking patrons are not fully-protected from secondhand smoke, he said. "Unfortunately, there is a law that gives provision for a smoking area," he said, referring to Section 6 of the Tobacco Regulation Act. "But this smoking area is useless because non-smokers will still inhale the second hand smoke." Second hand smoke, or smoke coming from a cigarette, contains harmful chemicals that can cause lung cancer, among other health problems. Studies have shown that inhaling second hand smoke is just as harmful as smoking itself. Padilla said the DOH is strengthening its anti-smoking campaign because of the continuous rise of smoking-related health problems in the country. "Talagang lumalala na rin ang ating statistika sa paninigarilyo, gusto po nating itigil ito at puksain (The situation is becoming worse, so we want to put an end to this)," he said. –VVP, GMANews.TV