Kuala lumpur: Baguio City bagged the Gold Award at the second ASEAN Smoke-Free Awards (ASA) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, recognizing its efforts to implement and enforce policies protecting the public from tobacco smoke.
According to Philippines News Agency, Pasig City was among five local governments from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand that received Bronze Awards during the ceremony held at the opening of the ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting (AHMM).
George Town in Penang, Malaysia received the Silver Award, while Singapore was given a Special Recognition certificate for its consistent and outstanding smoke-free enforcement. The awards recognize sub-national governments for their smoke-free policy achievements and efforts to protect public health.
The initiative was led by the government of Lao PDR under ASEAN Health Cluster 1, in cooperation with the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) and the ASEAN Secretariat. SEATCA Executive Director Ulysses Dorotheo said the awardees showed that strong smoke-free policies could be successfully implemented at the local level.
"This year's awardees demonstrate that strict and firmly enforced smoke-free policies are achievable and necessary if millions of lives are to be saved from the deadly tobacco epidemic," Dorotheo said in a statement. "SEATCA will continue to work with these cities to build on their present achievements. We know other governments in Southeast Asia will draw inspiration from these achievements. Local governments are demonstrating that smoke-free environments can and must become the standard all over the region by firmly resisting challenges from the tobacco industry and by placing public health first."
The Ministry of Health of Lao PDR said the second edition of the awards reflected ASEAN member states' commitment to translating regional health commitments into measures that directly protect communities. "We take pride in leading the ASEAN Smoke-Free Awards initiative under ASEAN Health Cluster 1 together with SEATCA and the ASEAN Secretariat," it said. "This second edition shows our common regional commitment to turning the high-level commitments of ASEAN into real protections for our people. Lao PDR will continue to work together with all the Member States to promote healthier and smoke-free communities."
In the Philippines, public health advocacy group HealthJustice commended Baguio and Pasig for their recognition. Former health secretary and HealthJustice board member Jaime Galvez Tan credited the concerned local government units (LGUs) for enforcing smoke-free and vape-free ordinances.
"Congratulations to Mayor Benjie Magalong and Mayor Vico Sotto for their outstanding work in being declared Smoke-Free Cities. Local leadership has proven that driving change to advance public health is possible," he said. He, however, urged Congress to pass legislation requiring smoke-free and vape-free public spaces nationwide, saying such legislation "will equip every LGU with the authority and resources to protect public health."
The ASEAN Smoke-Free Awards are aligned with the ASEAN Post-2015 Health Development Agenda and the 2017 ASEAN Declaration on Culture of Prevention. The initiative traces its roots to the "Towards a Smoke-free ASEAN" campaign launched in March 2012 during the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Singapore. It was later endorsed during the 4th ASEAN Health Cluster 1 meeting in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
The inaugural ASEAN Smoke-Free Awards were held on Aug. 8, 2024 in Vientiane, where Iloilo City became the first recipient of the Gold Award after obtaining the highest evaluation score. Bogor City in Indonesia received the Silver Award, while Saensuk Municipality in Thailand and Bagan in Myanmar received Bronze Awards.
