There will be no indoor smoking areas under the revised order on the nationwide smoking ban set to be signed by President Duterte.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the draft of the amended executive order has already reached the President’s desk and will be signed soon.
Abella said the President earlier asked the Department of Health to amend the draft order and follow the “Davao model” that restricts smoking inside buildings.
“Basically, (Health) Secretary (Paulyn) Ubial was given the directive to make sure that part four of the existing EO would be revised and to follow the Davao model. The one that they presented allows for smoking indoors,” Abella said in a Palace press briefing.
“The Davao model does not include for models indoor – for smoking indoors. And so that was revised and so there would be no smoking indoors,” he added.
Abella said the DoH revision has been submitted to the Office of the Executive Secretary on Tuesday morning. “It will be signed as soon as the President comes back. I think he is in Sulu right now,” he said.
The health department earlier proposed a draft EO on the public smoking ban, that is patterned after Duterte’s ordinance in Davao that banned smoking in public places.
The draft order seeks to authorize all government agencies and local government units to prohibit smoking in all public places. (Genalyn Kabiling)
