PUBLIC health advocate and Davao City’s anti-smoking pioneer Dr. Domilyn “Domz” C. Villareiz died Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, at the age of 60.
A funeral mass was held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at St. Peter Chapels in Panacan, Davao City. Following the service, she was laid to rest at Forest Lake Memorial Park in Maa, Davao City.
Davao tobacco control legacy
Dr. Villareiz has earned widespread recognition for her pivotal role in shaping Davao City’s comprehensive tobacco control policies. As the first co-chairperson of the Davao City Anti-Smoking Task Force, the precursor to the city’s current Vices Regulation Unit (VRU), she spearheaded local enforcement strategies, citation ticket systems, and counseling programs that positioned the city as a national exemplar in municipal tobacco regulation.
She consistently maintained that the city’s citation system was designed not simply to collect fines at the Treasurer’s Office, but to drive long-term behavioral change by pairing penalties with mandatory health counseling at District Health Offices.
Global public health advocate
In a remarkable career that began in Mindanao, Dr. Villareiz has made significant strides in international public health policy. She served as the Smoke-Free Program Manager for the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) and took on vital leadership roles within various global advocacy networks.
Notably, she held the position of Secretary-General of the Smoke-Free Cities Asia Pacific Network and acted as Regional Coordinator for the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control.
In an official tribute statement, SEATCA honored her as the "driving force behind smoke-free Davao City," highlighting her role in spearheading the Asean Smoke-Free Award, promoting smoke-free heritage sites, and successfully establishing the Asean Secretariat office in Jakarta as a smoke-free workplace.
Early local enforcement
During her tenure leading Davao's task force, Dr. Villareiz was known for her firm regulatory stance — warning against the early proliferation of e-cigarettes as early as 2010 and strictly enforcing tobacco sales bans within 100 meters of schools.
Under her watch, Davao City hosted the first regional smoke-free workshop for Asean delegates in 2013, solidifying the city's status as the "1st 100% Smoke-Free Metropolitan City in the Asean Region." GRS
