Can we implement the smoking ban?

President Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte's State of the Nation Address was done yesterday and since we had an earlier deadline, we will only talk about his SONA for our Wednesday column. Incidentally, I was listening to the radio reports over dyAB that reported the march of the Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) from Fuente Osmeña to downtown Colon St. in protest of Martial Law and contractualization that still exists even after Pres. Duterte promised to stop this practice.

But we know too well that Bayan is the above-ground voice of the Communist Party of the Philippines and their protest is really aimed against the Duterte government who has stopped the peace talks because of the continued attacks by the New People's Army. Unfortunately, those Bayan members are blind to the fact that Pres. Duterte has bent back so much to accommodate his leftist friends. Which is why Pres. Duterte got so frustrated that despite releasing 20 imprisoned members of the National Democratic Front, the NPAs still went on an ambush rampage killing many soldiers while their leaders were talking peace in Europe.

Now all talks with the Reds have been cancelled and the president ordered the arrest of the 20 NDF consultants who are now in Europe. For sure those people are not returning to the Philippines. If those who have been released temporarily won't come back then they become a fugitive to our laws and extradition charges will be filed against them.

For the record, one of the reasons it took me some time to decide and support the candidacy of then mayor Rodrigo Duterte is his closeness to certain officials of the CPP. A friend of mine, however, convinced me that if anyone can forge a genuine peace with the Reds, it is Pres. Duterte because the Reds trust in him. Initially, I thought that this was true. But with the collapse of the peace talks, it can now be told that the leadership of the CPP/NDF/NPA does not really want a genuine peace with the Philippine government. What they want is nothing short of replacing our democracy with a Communist state, which the majority of the Filipinos do not want for our country.

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Last Sunday Pres. Duterte finally implemented "smoking ban" Executive Order (EO) No. 26 which prohibits smoking in enclosed public places and public utility vehicles and the selling of tobacco products to minors, including the sale and distribution of tobacco products in schools, public playgrounds, and other areas frequented by minors.

In short, the Duterte administration went further than the United States surgeon general whose message is embossed in all cigarette boxes being sold here and abroad which declares in bold letters, "Smoking is dangerous to your health."

The EO also calls for the creation of a smoke-free task force in all cities and municipalities to help implement the provisions of the order. Hmmm, it makes me wonder whether the Province of Cebu under Governor Hilario "Jun Jun" Davide III will create such a task force because it is public knowledge that the governor is a chain smoker!

Well, if the Province of Cebu refuses to create such a Task Force, let them be forewarned that the Department of Health has also announced that it may conduct a "name and shame" campaign against local government units that will fail to enforce the ban. If Gov. Davide knows what is good for him, I dare tell him before it's too late to stop smoking lest he get sick with emphysema, or worse…get cancer!

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The local headline news in all three newspapers in Cebu is the tragedy that happened in Villadolid, Carcar, when Joel Lopez, a dismissed member of the Philippine National Police shot and killed his wife Jelyn, their 8-year-old son Myir and 12-year-old stepdaughter Angel May Lapina inside their home. Joel Lopez was dismissed from the service in Sept. 2, 2013 and life has not been good for him. But what a waste. This dismissed policeman had suicidal tendencies, he didn't have to kill his entire family. Unfortunately this deranged man killed them all, including himself! What a waste of lives!

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