Basey enacts comprehensive smoke-free and vape-free ordinance

The municipality of Basey, Samar enacted Municipal Ordinance No. 150 s. 2025 or the Comprehensive Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Ordinance.

Authored by Hon. Ariel P. Duran, Chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Industry, this ordinance aims to protect the health of all the municipality’s constituents from the harms of smoking, vaping, and tobacco consumption.

The comprehensive ordinance institutionalizes the following safeguards:

1. Prohibition on smoking, vaping, and/or using tobacco products in enclosed or partially enclosed public spaces, workplaces, and public conveyances;

2. Restrictions on selling, distributing, purchasing, marketing, and promoting such products to minors;

3. Promotion of smoking/vaping cessation programs that encourage users to quit.

The ordinance also elaborates on the standards that should be followed for the Designated Smoking and Vaping Areas, the penalties that will be imposed on the ordinance violators, and the duties and responsibilities of the members of the Smoke/Vape-Free Task Force.

This local legislation is a crucial step toward prioritizing public health and well-being, while adhering to the national and international policies that advocate strongly for tobacco control.

Smoke-free and vape-free environments is among the priority legislative agenda of the Alliance of Local Legislators for Human Development (ALL4HD). Councilor Ariel Duran is currently the Treasurer of ALL4HD. The Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Secretariat serves as the secretariat of ALL4HD.

Photo of Councilor Duran courtesy of the DISCERN Project