Big business pledges to discontinue selling cigarettes in Maasin City

One of the superstores in Maasin City pledges to discontinue selling cigarettes especially when they are located within the 100-meters radius from an elementary school.

“I have talked with Dr. Edward Gaisano, the Maasin Hiper (Gaisano) owner and he agreed to stop selling cigarettes at the superstore," a Maasin City Mayor Maloney Samaco said.

The incessant campaign to prohibit smoking in public places had now reached newly established superstores in the city that are still selling cigarettes to those who live within the 100 meter–radius from schools, he disclosed.

The mayor even requested the Hiper owner to also put down the billboards of cigarettes set up inside the superstore.

“As long as I am still the mayor of Maasin City, I will not issue any business permits allowing any establishment to sell cigarettes particularly those that are located within the prohibited areas,” he further said.

He also gave instructions to the city employees to always wear the anti-smoking pins together with their ID cards in slings as the city government is expecting national evaluators to visit in the city by next week.