The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Palawan enjoined all its component municipalities to strictly enforce the prohibition on the selling of alcoholic and tobacco products to minors, and selling these products within the 100-meter radius from schools and public places frequented by children and minor.
Board Member Clarito D. Demaala IV sponsored a resolution urging all the 23 component local government units (LGUs) to execute in their respective territorial jurisdiction, the Republic Act No. 9211 also known as Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 and the Executive Order No. 26 series of 2017 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“It is the policy of the State to protect the populace from hazardous products and promote the rights to health and instill health consciousness among them,”
The resolution said that based on the report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) more than a quarter of the total population of the Philippines smokes and 11 percent are minors.
RA 9211 and EO 26 series of 2017 prohibit the selling of tobacco products and alcoholic drinks within the 100-meter radius distance from schools, playground, and places frequented by children and minors.
The establishment owners should designate specific No Smoking Areas in places away from elevators, stairways, gas stations, health centers, and food establishments. Government agencies, offices, and establishments should install No Smoking signages in public places and enforce fines and penalties to violators.
“The Provincial Government of Palawan believes that our children must be protected from the harmful effects of smoking thus recognizes the importance of implementing the laws especially in view of the opening of classes for school year 2019-2020,” said BM Demaala.
He further authored another resolution that enjoined LGUs to enforce Presidential Decree 1619 series of 1979 that penalized vendors who sell alcoholic beverages to children and minor.
Demaala said that a research conducted by the University of the Philippines (UP) said that most young Filipinos started to drink alcoholic beverages at 16 or 17. However, there are more recent studies that showed that 12-year-old children started learning to drink alcoholic beverages.
