CITY
HALL BEAT
Aileen
P. Refuerzo
BAGUIO CITY – Barangays
are getting more active in the implementation of Ordinance No. 34-2017 or the
Smoke-Free Baguio City Ordinance despite encountering obstacles in the
enforcement.
During the
Smoke-Free Medium-Term Planning held April 22-24 in Bauang, La Union, some
barangay officials along with the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD)
enforcers shared their experiences in the enforcement of the ordinance, some of
which were unpleasant.
They cited
instances when they were scorned at the social media and derided on site.
They said
there were those accosted who resort to dropping the names of city officials or
other influential persons to skirt penalties.
“Others some
whom call center agents tried to scare or belittle us by speaking to us in
unfamiliar English terms and acting high-handed,” one enforcer related.
One barangay
nutrition scholar said some of them even received death threats from those
caught in the smoke-free drive.
“The threats
came incessantly prompting some of our officials to consider lying low in the
enforcement but that should not be an option for us for the sake of the good
intention of the ordinance,” the health worker said.
Dr. Donnabel
Tubera, tobacco control officer of the City Health Services Office lauded the
enthusiasm and dedication of the deputized barangay officials which she said is
primordial in achieving the ultimate goal of making tobacco control programs in
the city sustainable.
Recently, the
Baguio City Smoke-Free Task Force of the city government awarded two barangays
for their exemplary performance of their smoke-free functions.
Barangays
Lopez Jaena and DPS received certificates of commendation from city officials
led by Mayor Mauricio Domogan.
During the
planning session, representatives of at least 16 barangays joined various city
government offices, line agencies and other sectors in presenting their action
plans for more effective enforcement of the provisions of the ordinance in the
city.
The
Smoke-Free Project Team that facilitated the planning headed by Project
Development Officer Cecille Agpawa said the outputs on the priority action
plans will serve as basis for the strategic plan for the campaign from
2019-2022.
Around 70
participated in the planning where the task force also presented the
accomplishment of the smoke-free program, result of the Baguio Adult Tobacco
Survey and the Philippines Performance Index.
In October
last year, Mayor Domogan issued Administrative Order no. 136-18 that
decentralizes the implementation of the smoke-free ordinance and commissioned
the 128 barangays through their deputized smoke-free point persons to become part
of the 16 community task forces to act as enforcers.
Among the
duties of the task forces are to receive, review and process reports and
complaints and notify deputized members to validate reports; inspect and
monitor compliance of all places covered by the Ordinance, check the
appropriateness of the designated smoking areas and recommend the approval,
suspension or revocation of licenses or permits and closure of non-compliant
establishments; conduct educational awareness campaigns on the ordinance, ill
effects of smoking and exposure to second hand smoke and smoking cessation
program; and inspect the presence of appropriate Smoke-Free signages.
***
A recent
Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in the city showed a significant decrease in
the prevalence of current tobacco use among adult residents.
City Health
Services Office Medical Officer IV Dr. Nelson Hora bared in his talk during the
Baguio City Smoke-Free Medium-Term Planning last April 22-24 that from the
prevalence rate of 37.5 percent in 2014 and 34 percent in 2016, the figure
dropped to 17 percent in 2019.
There was a
slight decrease in tobacco use among men with 30 percent in 2019 from 32.1
percent in 2016 and 51.2 percent in 2014 while among women, the figure ebbed
substantially to 7.3 percent this year from a high of 35.8 percent in 2016 and
21.8 percent in 2014.
The GATS was
jointly conducted by the CHSO under City Health Officer Rowena Galpo and the
St. Louis University School of Medicine Department of Family and Community
Medicine which Hora also heads.
The local
survey followed strictly the GATS standard guidelines utilized worldwide and
covered the city’s 16 health districts with a total of 1,949 respondents aged
15 years old and above.
The study
also looked into the exposure to second hand smoke in the past 30 days and
found that figures for this year showed not much improvement from 2016 as
against the drastic drop from 2014.
Exposure in
health care facility, government facility, public transport and restaurants in
2019 registered slight increases from the 2016 rates but were a vast
improvement from the 2014 figures.
The
percentage of adults who believe that smoking causes serious illness remained
high at 99. 12 percent.
The average
monthly expenditure for manufactured cigarettes skyrocketed to P1,000 this year
as compared to P450 in 2016 and P 160 in 2014 while a look at the average
expenditure per week among manufactured cigarette smokers showed that majority
of the respondents spend P200-299 at 31 percent; P300-P399, 23 percent;
P100-P199 at 22 percent;P100, 14 percent and P400-P499, 10 percent.
The GATS also
showed the following:
*Percentage
of current smokers by smoking status and sex:
Current
smoker -- 17.6 percent overall; 30 percent men; and 7.3 percent women;
Daily smoker
-- 12.8 percent overall; 22.7 percent men; and 4.3 percent women;
Occasional
smoker -- 4.8 percent overall; 7.2 percent men; and 2.8 percent women.
*Percentage
of adults exposed to tobacco smoke at home by smoking status and sex: 17.30
percent over all; and 17.29 percent non-smoker;
Male 33.33
percent, non-smoker 16.89 percent; Female 21.88 percent 17.52 non-smoker.
On the
interest in quitting smoking, 37 percent indicated interest to quit someday but
not in the next 12 months; 22 percent said they were thinking of quitting
within next 12 months; 19 percent planning to quit within the next month; 18
percent not interested in quitting; and 4 percent do not know.
On
E-cigarette use, it was revealed that 1.5 percent of the respondents used
E-cigarettes 2 percent of whom males and 1.1 percent females.
As to age of
E-cigarette users, 4.3 percent are 15-24 years old; 1.3 percent, 25-34 years
old; 0.3 percent, 35-44; 0.7 45-54; and o percent 55 years old and above.
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