ILOILO City is racing up for the 2014 Red Orchid Hall of Fame award given by the Department of Health (DOH) to local government units (LGUs) vying to be 100 percent tobacco-free, after bagging the 2012 and 2013 nominations.
Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force (Icast) executive director Iñigo Garingalao said they are preparing the city’s bid documents for the prestigious award.
For the 2014 search, a total of 17 LGUs are vying for the distinction. Aside from Iloilo City, other contenders coming from Western Visayas Region are the municipality of Anilao, Iloilo and Dumalag, Capiz.
Other LGU contenders are Marikina, Bauang, La Union; Diadi, Nueva Viscaya; Quezon, Nueva Viscaya; Villaverde, Nueva Viscaya; Santiago City, Bindoy, Negros Oriental; Mabinay, Negros Oriental; San Juan, Southern Leyte; Dipolog City, Dumingag, Zamboanga del Norte; Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat and Tupi, South Cotabato.
Aside from the LGU category composed of provinces, chartered cities and municipalities, the other award categories are for government hospitals, government offices and DOH centers for health development and DOH hospitals.
Garingalao said the DOH Red Orchid Award follows the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that recommends adoption of measures to provide protection from exposure to smoke in indoor workplaces, public transport, indoor places and other public places.
In Iloilo City, the City Council recently enacted Regulation Ordinance 2013-348 by amended Regulation Ordinance 2006-150 to expand the coverage of a comprehensive anti-smoking ordinance aimed to secure a 100 percent smoke-free highly urbanized city in the Visayas.
The awarding ceremonies will be held on the first week of June 2014 in Baguio City for Luzon winners from Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and National Capital Region; second week of June in Iloilo City for Visayas winners from Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas; and third week of June in General Santos City for Mindanao winners from Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Caraga.
The grand awarding ceremony will be held in the last week of June in Clark, Pampanga for winners from Metro Manila and Hall of Fame awardees.