GENERAL SANTOS CITY, (PNA) — Local government officials and employees of the Sarangani provincial government led a “No Smoking” human chain on Friday to highlight its campaign against smoking in the area.
Board Member Elmer de Peralta, chair of the provincial board’s committee chair on health, disaster and related services, said they decided to form the human chain to signify their commitment to ban smoking within the provincial capitol’s premises.
He said the campaign was in response to the call of the Department of Health (DOH) and the smoking prohibition of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in all areas of government premises, buildings and grounds, except for open spaces designated as smoking areas.
Such move, which provided for in CSC Memorandum Circular No. 17, series of 2009, was aimed at promoting a healthy and productive government work force.
The “No Smoking” policy was also based on the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9211) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The forming of the human chain, which was made infront of the Sarangani provincial capitol building in Alabel town, coincided with the launching of the “No Smoking Campaign” in the province and the signing of commitment by local officials for the move.
The activity was joined by over 3,000 Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) from various parts of Region 12 who were attending a two-day congress in the area.
De Peralta a proposed ordinance on anti-smoking filed before the provincial board several years ago but did not prosper for various reasons.
The official said his committee is presently working on the filing of a similar ordinance in the coming months.
“We’re pushing for its advocacy also by the mayors of the seven municipalities of Sarangani,” he said.
According to the Provincial Health Office (PHO), non-smoking is one of the seven ways to a healthy lifestyle.
It was learned that six out of the 10 leading causes of death in the Philippines come from smoking cigarettes.
A WHO report cited that 17.3 million people in the Philippines are engaged in smoking and two people die every minute due to its complications.
It said that every stick of cigarette contains 17,000 chemicals that can eventually weaken the human body.