By Raymart Escopel
ILOILO City – Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog vowed to continuously support anti-smoking campaigns and programs of the national government even if the city becomes a Hall of Famer of the Red Orchid Awards.
The Award is a recognition given by the Department of Health (DOH) to local government units (LGUs), government hospitals and DOH-partner hospitals for making their areas 100 percent smoke-free. The awarding ceremony of the Red Orchid Awards for the Visayas cluster was held on July 1 at Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center.
“I assure the DOH that for as long as I am mayor of Iloilo City, I will continue to be your ardent collaborator,” the city mayor noted.
Mabilog also commended the health department and its partners for aggressively campaigning for a 100 percent smoke-free Philippines.
“While the campaign does not liberate millions of Filipino smokers nationwide, I am sure the DOH and its partners will eventually wave the banner of victory,” he said.
The mayor also cited of championing the ideals and objectives of the Red Orchid Awards since he became a mayor, underscoring the DOH statistics that smoking remains to be the one of the leading cause of preventable deaths to humans killing 240 people each day.
He also congratulated the solons for passing a law that allows the inclusion of graphics showing the ill effects of cigarette smoking in cigarette boxes, adding taxes and for banning advertising, promotions and sponsorships of tobacco products.
Mabilog gave emphasis to the efforts of the city government to impose smoking ban in public places through the Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force or ICAST.
“The political will of the government is understood by the people that we don’t want them to be sick and we don’t want them to end up in the mortality statistics,” he said.
Furthermore, the city government wants Ilonggos to be sufficiently healthy in line with the realization of their shared vision of making Iloilo City as the Queen City of the South./PN
