EO on nationwide smoking ban out soon –Palace

“It will be signed as soon as the President comes to the office. The revision was already submitted at 8 a.m. this morning (Tuesday) to the Office of the Executive Secretary and then –and then it will be signed as soon as the President comes back,” Abella said. (Photo: jenny downing/ Flickr)

MANILA –Malacañang on Tuesday said that President Rodrigo Duterte is set to sign an executive order (EO) on a nationwide smoking ban that will follow the Davao model.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the revised draft of the EO prepared by the Department of Health (DOH) has already reached the President’s desk on Tuesday morning.

“It will be signed as soon as the President comes to the office. The revision was already submitted at 8 a.m. this morning (Tuesday) to the Office of the Executive Secretary and then –and then it will be signed as soon as the President comes back,” Abella said.

The Palace official said that under the EO, smoking inside buildings would also be prohibited aside from public places.

“Basically, (Health) Secretary (Paulyn) Ubial was given the directive to make sure that part four of the existing EO would be revised and to follow the Davao model,” he said.

Davao City, where, Duterte was mayor for more than two decades, has been implementing a total smoking ban in public places.

“The Davao model does not include smoking indoors. And so that was revised and so there would be no smoking indoors,” Abella said.