More than three thousand individuals were apprehended in Iloilo City for violating the anti-smoking ordinance in the first half of 2024.
From January to June this year, the Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force (ICAST) recorded 3,507 violators.
Of the figure, 600 were students and 10 were minors, according to ICAST executive director Iñigo Garingalao.
Last year, ICAST apprehended 10,725 violators, of which 1,513 were vape users. The total number includes 191 students and 13 minors.
Garingalao said he was alarmed by the rise in the number of students and minors smoking and using vapes.
He urged school administrators to revise and strictly implement their smoking and vaping policies.
“Last year, many institutions were caught off guard because their policies did not explicitly prohibit vaping. As a result, apprehended students could argue that they weren’t breaking any rules,” Garingalao said.IMT
