STA. CRUZ, Ilocos Sur—The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has imposed a smoking ban in public places in Metro Manila but its impact is being felt some 350 kilometers north of the country’s capital.
Tobacco farmers and cigarette manufacturers said the MMDA crackdown, which was implemented on July 1, goes beyond what is stated in the law.
“Until they find an alternative crop that pays the same as tobacco, we will go on planting tobacco,” said former San Juan Mayor Benjamin Sarmiento, chairman of the National Federation of Tobacco Farmers.
Simon Olsinado, a tobacco farmer from Balaoan, La Union, said the ban on smoking would make their families go hungry.
“In the past, we tried planting peanuts and corn but the profit was so low. With tobacco, we were able to feed our family and send our children to school,” Olsinado said.
According to Sarmiento, tobacco farmers will still produce tobacco even if they are pushed against the wall.
“You know how Filipinos think—kung ano ang bawal, iyun ang hinahanap (they go for what is forbidden),” he said. “We will keep on producing tobacco as long as there is a demand.”
A recent National Tobacco Administration report showed that tobacco production grew this year compared with 2010.—Frank Cimatu, Inquirer Northern Luzon