2019 National No Smoking Month Celebration

To:

Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau and Service Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents Public Elementary and Secondary School Heads All Others Concerned

1. The Department of Education (DepEd) shall observe the 2019 National No Smoking Month Celebration pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 183, s. 1993 entitled Declaring the Month of June of Every Year as National No Smoking Month.

2. For this year’s celebration, DepEd shall focus on promoting the implementation of DepEd Order (DO) No. 48, s. 2016 entitled Policy and Guidelines on Comprehensive Tobacco Control in all schools and DepEd offices. A copy may be downloaded at http://www.deped.gov.ph/orders/do-48-s-2016.

3. In this connection, DepEd shall undertake the following activities:

a. conduct educational and information drive to raise awareness on the harms of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, tobacco control policies, and tactics of the tobacco industry, through creative endeavors, lectures, seminars, and projects involving the participation of students;

b. conduct advocacy campaign activities, such as:

i. promoting the implementation of comprehensive tobacco control policies and promoting awareness among stakeholders including parents, visitors in school grounds, and retailers in the 100-meter perimeter of the school;

ii. conducting awareness-raising activities to warn against smoking, to promote healthy lifestyles, and to counter the efforts of the tobacco industry’s tactics to circumvent tobacco control measures, to glamorize smoking, and to downplay or deny the addictive, harmful nature of tobacco products; and

iii. putting up signage indicating that the school or office is a smoke-free zone in prominent and strategic locations within the school and DepEd premises.

4. Regional offices (ROs), schools division offices (SDOs) and all public and private elementary and junior and senior high schools are enjoined to organize educational and social activities to:

a. promote awareness of DO 48, s. 2016, and the roles and responsibilities of school personnel with regard to the tobacco control measures contained therein:

i. prohibition of smoking among minors;

ii. prohibition of smoking in the premises of schools and DepEd offices;

iii. prohibition of selling and advertising cigarettes within the 100-meter perimeter of schools;

iv. prohibition of selling and advertising cigarettes to minors everywhere; and

v. prohibition among government offices, including schools, to have unnecessary interaction with, or receive any form of donation from the tobacco industry.

b. raise awareness on the harms of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke; and

c. raise awareness on the tactics of the tobacco industry (tactics to circumvent tobacco control measures, glamorize smoking, and downplay or deny the addictive, harmful nature of tobacco products).

5. The other suggested activities are as follows:

a. creative endeavors, lectures, seminars, and projects involving the participation of students, such as parade, poster-making, jinglemaking, essay-writing, and video-making;

b. activities for teaching and non teaching personnel, such as reiteration of tobacco control policies, especially the absolute smoking ban in DepEd premises (CSC Memorandum Circular No. 17, s. 2009), and the prohibition to receive any form of donation from tobacco companies and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) that receive funding from tobacco companies (CSC-DOH Joint Memorandum Circular 2010-01);

c. activities for parents and visitors in school grounds, such as orientation on DepEd tobacco control policies, or distribution of flyers;

d. activities for store owners within the 100-meter perimeter of the school, such as monitoring of the stores in coordination with the barangay, posting stickers, or distribution of flyers;

e. inclusion of the Graphic Health Warning templates in relevant subject areas to educate children on the ill-effects of tobacco use; and

f. putting up of information, education, and communication (IEC) materials on tobacco control in conspicuous places around the school compound, such as no smoking signs, and signs bearing—This is a smoke-free zone.

6. The Child Protection Committee (CPC) shall be the Focal Group that shall ensure the effective implementation of the Department’s Comprehensive Tobacco Control Policy at the school level. The CPC may coordinate with other government agencies and NGOs in the conduct of these activities.

7. It is emphasized that the Engaged Time-on-Task policy of DepEd should be observed as stipulated in DO 9, s. 2005.

8. Examples of IEC materials may be downloaded from http://bit.ly/depednnsm2019. IEC materials posted in the schools and stores during the National No Smoking Month shall not be removed but shall remain all year.

9. Funding for the conduct of the school activities may be sourced from the budget for school maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), subject to the usual accounting and auditing policies, procedures, and standards, as stipulated in DO 48, s. 2016. The same accounting procedures and standards shall be applied to funds from other sources.

10. The report and pictorials on the highlights of the observance of the National No Smoking Month shall be incorporated in the consolidated progress and accomplishment reports for OK sa DepEd for submission by the regional health and nutrition personnel to the Bureau of Learner Support Services-School Health Division.

11. Soft copies of the pictures of school activities with proper and complete captions or descriptions are also encouraged to be sent in advance to tobaccofree@deped.gov.ph as soon as possible.

12. Officials, personnel, and students are enjoined to like and follow the Facebook page of EskweLABAN sa Sigarilyo to learn more about DO 48, s. 2016 and to react to, comment on, and share the posts of the page to increase awareness of the policy. The Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/tobaccofreedeped/,

13. For more information, please contact Mr. Gian Erik Adao, Education Program Specialist II, Bureau of Learner Support Services-School Health Division at gian.adao@deped.gov.ph (using the Subject Title: NNSM2019) or telephone no. (02) 632-9935.

14. Immediate dissemination of this Memorandum is desired.

LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES
Secretary