Frances Gabrielle C. Reyes
Misamis Occidental High School
Smoking has undeniably threatened public health. It is one of the serious problems that we are facing today and yet people from all walks of life simply engage themselves into this. Why do people like smoking so much despite knowing that it is one of the worst things that people can do to their bodies?
First hand smokers usually suffer problems like heart attack, emphysema, and chronic diseases. Cancers have also been linked to smoking which includes cancer of the throat, mouth, stomach, cervix, breast, and pancreas. It is believed that for every stick of cigarette one smokes, s/he loses at least seven (7) minutes of his/her life. Worse, these risks do not only affect smokers but as well as non-smokers who are exposed to it. Thus, as long as tobacco is in the air it will kill you and your loved ones as well.
Now what does the government do to address this? Both the national and local government are taking initiatives to formulate laws that would minimize the worsening condition of smoking in the country. The national government in 2003 promulgated RA 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 which aims to:
a. Promote a healthful environment;
b. Inform the public of the health risks associated with cigarette smoking and tobacco use;
c. Regulate and subsequently ban all tobacco advertisements and sponsorships;
d. Regulate the labelling of tobacco products;
e. Protect the youth from being initiated to cigarette smoking by prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors;
f. Assists and encourage Filipino tobacco farmers to cultivate alternative agricultural crops to prevent economic dislocation;
g. Create an Inter-Agency Committee on Tobacco (IAC-Tobacco) to oversee the implementation of the provision of the act.
Similarly in our province, the provincial government, spearheaded by no less than Governor Hermie Ramiro, has come up with a city ordinance that aims to make Misamis Occidental a smoke-free province. The province has come up with this ordinance as its initiative to answer the clamour of the people of a healthy environment. This is widely supported by the different municipalities including our very own, Oroquieta City under the leadership of Mayor Jason Almonte.
These actions of the government should transcend across all sectors of the society, especially the education sector. It is very important that smoking should be discussed extensively in the classroom to raise the students’ awareness on the effects of smoking. Strict rules should be imposed by school administrators regarding students caught smoking.
The following are the critical success points that schools should look into:
a. Intensive information drive;
b. Strict implementation on the rules and regulation specially on smoking; and
c. Collaboration between parents and teachers
In conclusion, I challenge everyone to participate in and take a stand on this issue. Let us be reminded that that this is not a task of the government and the academe alone; we need to get involved as well. In the end, what we will save is something that we value the most - our own life and the lives of our loved ones.