MANILA, Philippines – In line with the call of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to make Metro Manila a smoke-free region, Starbucks Philippines has announced that “all Starbucks stores nationwide will be smoke-free.”
The popular coffee store made the announcement through posters in its stores citing compliance with Section 5 of Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003.
“All previously designated smoking outdoor areas will be converted to non-smoking,” the statement said.
The smoking ban campaign of Starbucks will be effective on Monday, June 27.
Last May 30, the MMDA, together with the 17 local government units (LGU) of Metro Manila, prohibited the lighting up of cigarettes in bus terminals, waiting sheds, schools, hospitals, recreational places and inside public utility vehicles as part of a joint campaign to protect Filipinos from secondhand smoke.
Data from the Department of Health and the World Health Organization showed that smoking kills 10 Filipinos every hour, or 80,000 every year.