FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. MANNY VILLAR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), 
is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar 
and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by 
nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and 
can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including 
cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma. 
The exposure to ETS decreases lung efficiency and impairs lung function 
in children of all ages. It increases both the frequency and severity of childhood 
asthma. Secondhand smoke can aggravate sinusitis, rhinitis, cystic fibrosis, and 
chronic respiratory problems such as cough and postnasal drip. It also increases 
the number of children's colds and sore throats. In children under two years of 
age, ETS exposure increases the likelihood of bronchitis and pneumonia. 
In fact, a study says ETS causes 150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory 
tract infections each year in infants and children under 18 months of age. These 
illnesses result in as many as 15,000 hospitalizations. Children of parents who 
smoke half a pack a day or more are at nearly double the risk of hospitalization 
for a respiratory illness. 
Likewise, exposure to ETS increases both the number of ear infections a 
child will experience, and the duration of the illness. Inhaled smoke irritates the 
eustachian tube, which connects the back of the nose with the middle ear. This 
causes swelling and obstruction which interferes with pressure equalization in the 
middle ear, leading to pain, fluid and infection. Ear infections are the most 
common cause of children's hearing loss. When they do not respond to medical 
treatment, the surgical insertion of tubes into the ears is often required. 
Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke 
because they are still developing physically, have higher breathing rates than 
adults, and have little control over their indoor environments. Children exposed to 
high doses of secondhand smoke, such as those whose mothers smoke, run the 
greatest relative risk of experiencing damaging health effects. 
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly requested. 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
--> 
,
.
 
i 
ri 
Senate Bill No. 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. MANNY VILLAR 
AN ACT 
PROHIBITING SMOKING TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN A MOTOR VEHICLE 
WHEN A MINOR IS PRESENT AND PROVIDING GRADUATED PENALTIES 
THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. State Policy. It shall unlawful for any person to smoke 
tobacco products in any motor vehicle when a minor is present. 
SECTION 2. Penalties. Any person found guilty of violating the provisions 
of this Act shall be sentenced to suffer any of the following penalties: 
a. For the first offense, a fine of One Thousand Pesos and imprisonment 
of one (1) month; 
b. For the second offense, a fine of Two Thousand Pesos and 
imprisonment of two (2) months; 
c. For the third and all subsequent offenses, a fine of Five Thousand 
Pesos and imprisonment of one to three years. 
SECTION 3. Promulgation of Rules and Regulations. The Department of 
Transportation and Communication (DOTC) in cooperation with the Metropolitan 
Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Health (DOH), 
shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act. 


SECTION 4. Separability Clause. If any provisions, or part hereof, is held 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law of the provision not otherwise 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 5. Repealing Clause. Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule and regulation 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, 
modified or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 6. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in at least two newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved.