The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday reiterated the ban on smoking and vaping in places of detention, hailing the ban as “a good thing.”

Under Memorandum Circular Number 2011-05, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) prohibited smoking in all its national headquarters, regional facilities, and jail facilities.

During the signing of the National Policy on Promotion and Protection of Health in Jails, Prisons, Custodial Facilities, and Other Places of Detention to ensure access to healthcare for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), DOH Assistant Secretary Dr. Albert Domingo said the ban not just benefits the PDLs, but also their visiting families.

“How can you avoid cigarette smoke and vape smoke if you are in an enclosed area? If people are actually using it, imagine kung may bumibisita, what if kunwari yung asawa ng isang PDL ay buntis at bumibisita, kahit yung asawa niya ay hindi naninigarilyo, kung may ibang naninigarilyo doon, nalalanghap ng buntis yung usok, and that’s secondhand smoke,” Domingo said.

“So a ban on smoking and vaping in places of detention benefits not only the persons deprived of liberty but also their families and detention wardens,” he added.

Tobacco products like cigarettes are considered contraband under jail policies, rules, and regulations.