No Smoking in Public Places

The Tobacco Regulation Act or Republic Act 9211 was passed into law last 2003 but we have yet to see a strict implementation of some of its provisions. The law prohibits the “smoking in public places like hospitals and clinics, schools, elevators and stairwells, public facilities including airports and train stations, and food preparation areas." It also prohibits the sale of tobacco to minors, to buy tobacco products from a minor and for minors to smoke cigarettes and tobacco products. The law’s main thrust is to promote a healthful environment and educate the public about the health risks associated with cigarette smoking and tobacco use.

It was good to know that the government is now taking concrete actions to implement this law as it strengthened its anti-smoking campaign due to the escalating cases of smoking-related health problems in the country. Recently, the Department of Health (DOH) Center for Health Development in Metro Manila has intensified its campaign by launching the first-ever smoke-free reporting package which will provide a venue for the public to report violations of the anti-smoking campaign.


According to the Department of Health website, anybody can now report tobacco violations by texting “NOSI” to 2256, by calling 661-3747 from 9:00am-5:00pm from Mondays to Fridays, or by logging on to http://www.nosi.com.ph. The mobile service is open to Globe, Smart and Sun network subscribers. You will be asked for information about the incident, such as: - the name of the establishment or the license plate of the public transport - date and time the incident happened, and - address of the establishment or the route of the public transport.

The NOSI (No to Yosi) campaign is a project of the Department of Health (DOH) Center for Health Development in Metro Manila.

This should be taken seriously and should be supported by the general public if we want the government to succeed in providing us with a healthy environment. I respect the choice of other people if they want to smoke but they should also respect the rights of other people who choose not to. Even non-smokers are at risk when exposed to second hand smoke as studies have shown that inhaling second hand smoke is just as harmful as smoking itself. The law gives provision for smoking areas but some establishments are not taking this seriously.