The Tagbilaran City Sangguninag Panlalawigan (SP) is now prioritizing the passage of a bill seeking to implement a smoking ban across all public places in the city, said a local lawmaker.
According to Tagbilaran Councilor Eliezer Borja, who chairs the SP’s committee on health, the proposed ordinance is expected to be approved on third and final reading before yearend.
SP members are seen to fast-track the passage of the bill as public clamor for the measure’s implementation continued to mount, said Borja.
There are two more SP regular sessions left for 2017, on December 22 and 29.
Borja said that personnel from the police, ALERT, City Health Office and barangay offices are now ready to enforce the measure and arrest those caught smoking in public.
Business establishments, meanwhile, will also be barred from displaying their for-sale cigarettes in plain sight, he added.
However, the local legislator noted that arrests will only be made after an information drive is carried out to notify the public of the fines and penalties which will be meted out against violators.
Since President Duterte signed an executive order in May prohibiting smoking in public areas, several local government units have implemented their own measures to enforce the EO. (A. Doydora)