Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Sunday made a new pitch for a stricter implementation of the smoking ban in the city, saying the policy would benefit the environment by lessening cigarette butt litter.
“Discarded cigarette butts and leftovers litter our streets and worsen our garbage problem. They usually end up in the drainage and waterways, causing floods,” Estrada said in a statement.
“So, malinaw na makikita niyo, na itong sigarilyo ay nakakasira na nga sa kalusugan ng mamamayan, nakakasira pa sa kalikasan,” he added.
(Clearly, you can see that these cigarettes ruin the public’s health while also destroying the environment.)
According to Belle Borromeo, head of Manila’s Department of Public Services, cigarette butts and filters were among the top 10 most collected trash during the International Coastal Cleanup in Manila Bay last Sept. 17, 2015. Borromeo said 12,856 of the 398,105 pieces of garbage collected that day were cigarette butts.
“Worse, these discarded cigarette butts do not decay quickly, they usually last 15 long years… So you can just imagine if smoking is restricted in our city. It will result in lesser garbage,” she added.
Last month, Estrada ordered a citywide smoking ban and heavier penalties on violators based on an old ordinance. City Ordinance No. 7748 prohibits smoking in all enclosed places like hospitals, schools, public buildings, shopping malls, and other public places in the capital. JE/rga
READ: Estrada orders strict enforcement of smoking ban in Manila