The Metro Manila Development Authority is set to resume its anti-smoking campaign in public transportation across the metropolis to protect non-smokers, particularly pregnant women and children, from second-hand smoke.
MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos said 50 green-uniformed personnel will be deployed on intersections all over Metro Manila to enforce the ban.
“They will be deployed on intersections such as Shaw Boulevard, Cubao and Balintawak,” Orbos said.
He said the ban covers not only passengers but also drivers of public utility vehicles. The agency will impose a P500 fine on both the smoker and the driver.
The MMDA is also implementing an information campaign through social media (@MMDA Facebook and Twitter accounts) to send warnings to individuals who smoke in public.
According to Health Justice Philippines and Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, at least 10 Filipinos die every hour from diseases related to smoking.
They said non-smoking adults exposed to second-hand smoke at home or at work have a 25 to 30 percent increased risk of developing lung cancer.
Babies of non-smoking women who are exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy are at risk of experiencing a small reduction in birth weight.
Smoking kills six million people a year worldwide and will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030, according to the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC also reported that cigarette smoking is also responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including nearly 42,000 deaths resulting from second-hand smoke exposure.