SMOKING THE FUTURE AWAY?: Youth Smoking, Vaping Spike Alarms Iloilo Officials

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Smoking and vaping – two of the leading causes of preventable diseases and premature death – are increasingly becoming habits among younger generations, raising serious health concerns for parents and local leaders.

The Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force (ICAST) apprehended 3,598 individuals for smoking and 663 for vaping in public places from January to June 2025.

This brings the total number of violators of the city’s Comprehensive Anti-Smoking Ordinance to 4,231.

Among those apprehended were 3,867 civilians, 200 students, 164 drivers and 15 minors.

ICAST head Iñigo Garingalao said most violators were between 18 and 35 years old, many of whom are young professionals or educated individuals.

“This is a generational issue,” Garingalao said Friday, July 11.

“While we continue to apprehend violators, the fact that many still choose to break the law—whether intentionally or not—is deeply concerning.”

He warned that the growing number of youth smokers should push parents and leaders to act swiftly, saying, “They are at peril, they are in danger.”

Garingalao emphasized that ICAST alone cannot solve the problem, and that a whole-of-government approach is needed.

He said it is becoming more difficult to build a healthy environment when more people, especially youth, are exposed to and influenced by the widespread promotion of smoking and vaping.

“The numbers that we are showing, if we do not act on them, will continue to rise,” he said.

“We will have another generation of people who, at 50 or 55 years old, could already experience the ill effects of smoking.”

He clarified that ICAST is not focused on apprehension statistics but on raising public awareness about smoking’s health risks.

Earlier this July, Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas officially deputized ICAST agents and enforcers to issue citation tickets to violators of the city’s anti-smoking policies.

“We have already received numerous awards for our implementation of the Anti-Smoking Ordinance,” Treñas said.

“But we must not be complacent – we need to strengthen ICAST so we can more effectively enforce our laws and ordinances.”

Under city rules, smoking and vaping are banned in all enclosed public spaces, including government offices, educational institutions (within school compounds and 10 meters from entrances), hospitals, clinics and pharmacies (within 100 meters), as well as restaurants, bars, hotels and entertainment venues.

Violators face fines ranging from PHP1,500 to PHP5,000 and may be imprisoned for repeat offenses.

Establishments violating the ordinance may be fined up to PHP5,000 and risk suspension or revocation of their business permits.