Palace seeks support for nationwide smoking ban

Malacañang urged the public to support President Rodrigo Duterte’s nationwide ban on smoking, which took effect on Sunday.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Mr. Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) No. 26, which imposed the ban, was “another milestone” in the government campaign to protect public health.

“The implementation of this EO is a realization of our dream of a tobacco-free future,” Abella said.

EO No. 26 seeks to replicate on a larger scale a successful ban on smoking in Davao City started by Mr. Duterte when he was still the city’s mayor.

The order requires establishments to designate smoking areas and display No Smoking signs.