BAGUIO CITY – Local officials are hopeful that the city will finally garner the Department of Health’s (DOH) Red Orchid Award as it continues to strictly implement the Smoke-Free Baguio Ordinance with more than to two thousand apprehensions since January this year.
Councilor Joel Alangsab, the measure’s author, said a validation team from the DOH and representatives from a nationally-recognized clean-air non-government organization met earlier with the city’s anti-smoking task force chaired by Mayor Mauricio Domogan.
At present, the team has yet to inform local officials on whether the Summer Capital deserves to be conferred the prestigious award, he added.
Alangsab said the city should be inspired by the feats of neighboring towns like La Trinidad and Sablan that have already won the coveted award several times.
“Although admittedly it will be more difficult for a highly-urbanized city like Baguio to win the award, it is very possible if all sectors cooperate and work together with the city government in achieving this,” he stressed.
He pointed out, however, that several local institutions have already won the Red Orchid Award like the Baguio City Jail Women’s Dormitory other than its being declared as a drug-free facility by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency or PDEA.
The Award is the DOH’s search among government hospitals, offices and local government units that implement a 100-percent tobacco-free environment and the meet the quality standards on tobacco prevention and control set by the World Health Organization.**gaby keith
