THE Bacolod City Council is planning to review and amend the implementation of the Anti-Smoking Ordinance in the city.
Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairman of the City Council committee on laws and co-chairman of the Anti-Smoking Task Force, said he received a communication from Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran informing him that the Bacolod City Police Office will aid the City Government in arresting violators of City Ordinance (CO) No. 641, series of 2013.
“We will make the necessary review, and if it is necessary to amend the ordinance, we will amend it so that our policemen will also be involved in the apprehension of anti-smoking violators,” Distrito said.
Starting last year until February 2019, more than 1,000 violators, including business establishments, have been apprehended for violation of CO 641.
At present, aside from the task force, the school officials and teachers are also authorized to arrest violators within their areas of jurisdiction, as well as the barangay officials.
In 2013, the City Government created the task force for the implementation of CO 641, which regulates smoking in public places, including public conveyances, and advertisements, promotions and sponsorships of tobacco products.
Violators will be fined P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for the second offense and P2,500 and possible imprisonment for the third offense.
Business establishments will also be fined P1,000 to P5,000 and may lose their business permit if they sell cigarettes to minors or fail to provide the appropriate designated smoking areas.
Distrito said it is prohibited to smoke in a building with no designated smoking areas such as schools, plazas, hospitals, laboratories, clinics, food and beverage factories, public utility vehicles and malls. (MAP)