Baguio wins gold at ASEAN Smoke-Free Awards

BAGUIO CITY — Baguio City received the gold award at the second ASEAN Smoke-Free Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for its policies against tobacco use and efforts to protect public health.

The city received the recognition on 10 September during the opening of the ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting.

The award highlighted Baguio’s implementation of comprehensive smoking regulations, including City Ordinance 34, or the Smoke-Free Baguio Ordinance, enacted in 2017.

The ordinance prohibits smoking, vaping and the sale of tobacco products in enclosed and public places, on public transportation and within 100 meters of schools and parks. It also bans the sale of cigarettes by the stick and restricts advertising at points of sale.

Baguio’s local anti-smoking regulations date to 1989, but earlier policies were hampered by enforcement gaps. Initial city estimates placed the prevalence of smoking among adults at about 35 percent.

The 2017 ordinance created a dedicated task force, deputized community members and allocated collected fines to smoking cessation services and public education.

City officials said sustained enforcement and monitoring of commercial establishments had helped change smoking behavior over the past decade.

Recent health assessments showed that smoking prevalence among adults in Baguio had fallen to 8.9 percent, one of the most substantial reductions recorded among Philippine cities.

The awards program was led by the Lao People’s Democratic Republic under ASEAN Health Cluster 1, with the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance and ASEAN Secretariat. It recognizes local governments that maintain public health standards through tobacco control.

George Town in Penang, Malaysia, received the silver award, while Pasig City won bronze.

Iloilo City received the gold award when the program was launched in Vientiane, Laos, in August 2024.