CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- The Department of Education (DepEd) Region 10 office has been implementing three absolute bans under its tobacco control program to keep the children away from cigarette addiction.
These bans include smoking within the school premises, selling of cigarettes within 100 meters from the schools, and partnership with all tobacco companies.
Dr. Myra Yee, DepEd-Region 10 medical officer, made the statement during a media forum on Thursday, June 2, stressing that the move is intended to keep the children from getting addicted to cigarettes.
The bans, according to Dr. Yee, apply to the entire region and offices in DepEd Region 10.
Yee stressed that the said interventions will help maintain the good health, not just of the children and employees in school but also of the employees of DepEd.
The said program is apart from the DepEd’s Oplan Kalusugan.
“This is serious. As we all know that our learners are very crucial, especially in their adolescent period (10-19 years old) which can be prone to all types of addiction, including Tobacco,`` Yee said as she explained the crucial phase of a person's adolescent period.
Apart from the tobacco control program, the DepEd-10 also underscored the National Drug Education Program, which covers not only tobacco but also substance abuse and alcoholism.
In smoking, Yee said they already conducted empowerment training for tobacco coordinators to the 14 divisions of DepEd in Northern Mindanao region.
“We also have training for brief tobacco intervention, especially those who already have a problem in addiction,” she added.
On the other hand, Dentist III Dr. Rey Ignacio Cagang, the focal person of DepEd’s National Drug Education Program, did not neglect the fact that there were students who had been caught smoking or under the influence of liquor within the school premises.
However, he assured that the DepEd will always apply the standard operating procedures for such cases.
“Once we catch a certain student, we have standard operating procedure with that. We refer them to the guidance counselor, inform the school head and the guidance counselor will call up the parents to inform the behavior of their child,” Cagang said.
Cagang also stressed the importance of parents’ participation to avoid children from getting hooked on different types of addiction.
In the month of June, the country is observing the National No-Smoking Month.