ILOILO City – Smoking is not only hazardous to one’s health. In the case of employees of the city government, it could also jeopardize their career advancement.
Mayor Jose Espinosa III is backing a radical proposal of the City Health Office (CHO): prioritize nonsmokers in the promotion of city hall personnel and in the hiring of employees.
“Kon may record ka nga nadakop sang Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force (ICAST) nga naga-smoke, basi indi ka kasulod sa city government. Kon city hall empleyado ka kag nadakpan ka, basi indi ka ma-promote,” he said.
The city government is serious in its campaign against smoking in public places and conveyances, stressed Espinosa.
CHO chief Dr. Bernard Caspe further suggested the setting up of smoking cessation clinics to help smokers – whether city government employee or not – kick the hazardous habit.
“Dapat mapa-rehab ka through (cessation) clinics,” said Caspe.
Espinosa vowed to support such proposal, too.
Caspe said CHO’s proposals would benefit not just the individual but the government workplace as well.
“Iloilo City should consider having healthy and sound government employees,” he stressed.
Iñigo Garingalao, executive director of ICAST, also expressed support to CHO’s proposals because smoking affects how people do their jobs.
Tobacco kills more than seven million people each year, according to the World Health Organization.
“More than six million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 890,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke,” it added./PN
