KEEP your Christmas parties smoke-free.
This was the appeal of New Vois Association of the Philippines (Nvap) President Emer Rojas saying spending Christmas parties smoke-free does not only adhere to having a healthy lifestyle, but will also shield family members against the deadly secondhand smoke.
“As we go to our string of Christmas get-togethers and parties, let us keep them smoke-free. It will not only be a good gift for ourselves to maintain good health, but also show care for your loved ones by protecting them from secondhand smoke,” Rojas said.
He pointed how such gatherings are usually conducive for smoking cigarettes owing to the presence of food and drinks and the prolonged periods of conversation with relatives and friends.
“Having a healthy and smoke-free Christmas party will not rob us of the joy in being with our loved ones and sharing food, drinks and stories with them,” Rojas said.
Secondhand smoke is defined as those that are inhaled involuntarily from cigarettes being smoked by others.
Rojas said having the promised executive order (EO) for a smoke-free Philippines would have been a great tool in discouraging people from smoking during Christmas parties.
“We would have hoped that the EO is already in place by this time. It would have forced people to adopt smoke-free Christmas parties anywhere in the country,” the cancer survivor-turned-health advocate said.
To note, President Duterte has yet to sign the EO that will outlaw smoking in all public places nationwide just as he promised in during the presidential campaign.
Without the EO, Rojas appealed to law enforcers to instead strictly implement provisions of the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 regarding smoking ban in public places.
“The law clearly provides that smoking in public places are prohibited, thereby, making it illegal to puff cigarettes in establishments, where most of Christmas gatherings take place,” Rojas said.
Data from the Tobacco Atlas show that about 15,570,000 adults continue to use tobacco each day in the Philippines.
Records also show that an estimated 24 million Filipinos are exposed to tobacco smoke every day.