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[av_heading heading=’EDITORIAL | Public health takes precedence’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Saturday, June 10, 2017
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PRESIDENT Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) 26 provides for the establishment of smoke-free environments in public and enclosed places. It is hoped that this will translate to cleaner air and a litter-free environment.
The EO will protect every Filipino against the hazards of second-hand and third-hand tobacco smoke. We agree with the President that public health takes precedence over any commercial or business interest.
However, while the EO provides for non-mandatory designated smoking areas (DSAs) with certain standards to follow, the persons-in-charge better go for 100 percent smoke-free environment for places under their jurisdiction. According to the EO, “nothing in this Order shall compel the persons-in-charge to establish DSAs nor prevent them from instituting more stringent measures in their buildings and establishments to better ensure a smoke-free environment in their premises.”
We pray that the enforcement of the EO will significantly reduce the number of cigarette butts thrown on the streets that ultimately find their way into rivers and oceans. The EO will help protect our urban, rural and marine ecosystems from cigarette butts, which is more than just a litter. Although small and lightweight, cigarette butts take several years to degrade, contain many harmful chemicals, pose environmental health risks, and waste public funds for cleanup and disposal.
We hope that the proposed EO imposing a national firecracker ban will be signed next. The immediate promulgation of this will give the country, particularly the firecracker industry, more time to perform the necessary adjustment and transition. The ban will surely not make everyone happy, but, just like in EO 26, the greater public interest dictates that a tougher policy must be introduced to put an end to the preventable cycle of injuries, deaths, fires and toxic pollution due to firecrackers.
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