Contrary to what former President Rodrigo Duterte claimed in his recent program on SMNI TV, Davao City is not the first local government unit (LGU) in the country to ban smoking in public places.
The first LGU to implement a smoking ban in public places is Quezon City, through Ordinance No. NC-73, S. 1989 passed on January 5, 1989. This was during the time of Brigido Simon Jr. as mayor and former Senator Vicente Sotto III as vice mayor.
http://libros.quezoncitypubliclibrary.org:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/2854/1/SP73%2cS1989.pdf
The ban was amended in 2005 through Ordinance No. SP-1515, Series of 2005 to comply with the implementing rules and regulations of the Tobacco Regulatory Act of 2003 or Republic Act 9211.
http://quezoncitycouncil.ph/ordinance/SP/sp-1515,%20s%202005-1.pdf
Davao City passed its first smoking ban ordinance in 2002.
Duterte, who served as Davao City mayor for 22 years before becoming president in 2016, mentioned the city’s smoking ban ordinance towards the end of his program last January 30 that lasted a little over three hours.
He segued to that ordinance after citing the bad effects of smoking in relation to a comment from a viewer that he and Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, SMNI owner who also hosted the program, seemed to look younger than their age.
Davao City approved in 2002 Ordinance No. 043-02 banning smoking in public places. At the time, Duterte was serving his fourth term as mayor. He was mayor from 1988 to 1998, 2001 to 2010 and 2013 to 2016. Duterte spent one term as member of the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2001.
In 2012, the city passed Ordinance No. 0367-12 increasing the coverage of the ban and repealing Ordinance No. 043-02. Called “The New Comprehensive Anti-Smoking Ordinance of Davao City,” the measure carries a maximum penalty of P5,000.
Duterte was then the vice mayor while his daughter, incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, was the mayor.
As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes leads or suggestions from the public to potential fact-check stories. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)
