Dumaguete launches own anti-smoking drive

Some two weeks after Metro Manila went full blast in enforcing a smoking ban in public places, Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental is following suit, a report said over the weekend. The city government launched Thursday a smoke-free policy that seeks to make Dumaguete a smoke-free city, news site Daily Visayan Star reported. According to the report, no arrests of violators will be made in the next six months, at least. The city council is underway of passing an ordinance against smoking in public places. Once implemented, the local government imposes a reprimand for the first offense, a P500 fine for the second offense and a P1,000 fine for third and succeeding offenses. On Thursday, students and government employees joined a smoke-free drive parade that ended at the Quezon Park in Dumaguete City. The campaign drew praise from Sen. Francis Escudero, who visited Dumaguete Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria and other city officials at the city hall last week. The Visayan Daily Star report quoted Escudero, himself a smoker, as saying anti-smoking laws are good for smokers like him, President Benigno Aquino III, and many others as they will or reduce their smoking habits. “I think every smoker wants to stop. It’s a question of being given enough encouragement, will power, or drive to actually do it," Escudero said. Escudero also said he is in favor of increasing sin taxes if government needs to increase revenues and not to justify efforts for people to smoke less. — JE, GMA News