Author: Raffy Rico

True to its commitment in promoting smoke-free environment, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) vowed to intensify the promotion of smoke-free environment policy and public awareness on the effects of tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke. Aside from promotion and public awareness, the MMDA also provides technical assistance to the 17 local government units (LGUs) in the development of policies, capacity building, communication strategies, and monitoring of compliance. The MMDA noted that the US Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) stated that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and that even brief exposure can cause immediate harm. It added that non-smoking adults who are exposed to second-hand smoke at home or at work have a 25 percent to 30 percent increased risk of developing lung cancer. In December 2022, the results of the 2021 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) showed that the exposure to secondhand smoke in homes and public places has “significantly declined,” with the largest decrease in exposure to secondhand smoke occurring in public transportation— According to the survey the exposure to secondhand smoke in homes also declined from 54.4 percent in 2009 to 34.7 percent in 2015 to 21.4 percent in 2021. Meanwhile, in the workplace, it also decreased from 22.6 percent in 2009 and 21.5 percent in 2015 to 12.9 percent in 2021. MMDA’s activity on tobacco control to continue...