Dagupan dad wants spitting banned in public areas
IF San Fernando in La Union wants to be known as a “no smoking city” as part of its drive for cleaner environment, Dagupan will not allow itself to be far behind.
To date, a Dagupan City councilor is mulling over the passage of an ordinance, similar to a law in Hong Kong and Singapore, that will outlaw spitting in public which is also the city’s own way to promote healthier environment.
Councilor Jesus Canto, a doctor by profession and chairman of the health committee of the Dagupan City Council, said he is finalizing the draft of the proposed ordinance seeking to ban spitting in public.
He said he will submit the draft to the city council through Vice Mayor and presiding officer Belen Fernandez who may refer this back to his committee for the conduct of public hearings.
“We need such an ordinance because it is one way of protecting ourselves from the onslaught of harmful diseases,” said Canto, a retired director of Region 1 Medical Center.
He said the Chinese learned a hard lesson from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that hit their country a few years ago, that is why they have now banned spitting in public.
“You know, sputum contains millions of minute bacteria that might be spread to other people in the air which we all breathe, such as what happened to SARS,” Canto said.
He said if the ordinance is passed and people can not really control themselves not to spit, they can do so in their own hankies which are really the safer destination for the sputum.
He said approval of the ordinance will mean that persons can no longer spit wherever and whenever they want lest they pay corresponding fines.—LM
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