The City of Dumaguete has started implementing the Smoke Free Ordinance, which prohibits smoking in all public places.
More than 100 law enforcement agents fanned out to the city streets Saturday after they were deputized by Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria, although no arrests were reported.
“The penalty for the first offense is a reprimand,” explained City Administrator William Ablong, who also heads Task Force Sagarr, the City’s premiere law enforcement arm. Ablong said that as of Saturday morning, he had yet to receive any feedback from the law enforcers.
Pursuant to City Ordinance 94 series of 2011, the use, sale, distribution and advertisement of cigarettes and any tobacco products are prohibited in all public places or within 100 meters from any point within the perimeter of a public place.
Public places, as defined by the Ordinance, are the public market, Rizal Boulevard, churches, schools of all levels, tricycles, buses and jeepneys, airports, bus and boat terminals.
Restaurants and conference halls may have separate designated smoking areas.
The deputized enforcers, consisting of the police, traffic management office, Task Force Sagarr, City Health Office, Environment and Natural Resources Office, barangay tanods and other volunteers are authorized to reprimand offenders for the first offense and issue citation tickets for succeeding offenses.
There is a P500 fine for the second offense and P1000 for every succeeding offense thereafter.
The MetroPost went around the public market Saturday morning hoping to find law enforcers doing their thing but failed to find any.
Dr. Sarah Tallah, city health officer, said that the City will also help smokers who wish to stop smoking by giving counselling sessions.
