News update Smoking ban imposed on Baguio cops
BAGUIO CITY - A smoking ban has been imposed on the 500-strong police force in this city while on duty or even in uniform, the Baguio City Police Office revealed on Saturday.Senior Superintendent Roberto Quinto Soriano, officer-in-charge of the city police, said non-smoking policemen must have the moral ascendancy to arrest violators of the anti-smoking ordinance even if the violators are fellow police officers.Soriano said that as law enforcers, the men and women of the Baguio City Police should not only enforce the city's anti-smoking policy but lead in refrain from smoking while wearing their uniforms or on official duty.He said the smoking ban is not only in the premises of police stations and public buildings but throughout a police officer's day-long assignment, particularly while on routine mobile and foot patrol.
Let's Ban Smoking Outright!
Soriano warned that appropriate monitoring will be done on the daily activities of law enforcers deployed around the city so that they will strictly adhere to the order.The acting police chief even encouraged the public to report or tip off sightings of uniformed policemen smoking while on duty.The strict implementation of the city's no smoking policy in public places is part of the anti-littering ordinance to help bring back the beauty and cleanliness of the country's summer capital.
Smoking Bans (Point/Counterpoint)
Earlier, Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan declared public places in the city are no smoking areas, thus, the need for concerned city departments to enforce the policy to set an example for residents and tourists.Apart from adhering to this ordinance, the local police force will be involved in the massive cleanup operations in the city's central business district area to serve as a model for residents to follow conduct their own cleanup activities in their areas voluntarily, Soriano said.
Alongside this campaign, police will intensify its operations to apprehend public utility vehicle drivers who are smoking while inside their vehicles.For the past several years, concerned stakeholders observed that the previous leaders of the city did not religiously implement the no-smoking policy which contributed to the deteriorating air quality in the city.
