KICKING BUTTS

I, myself is a smoker. I admit that. I started smoking when I was in my first year in college where I saw most of my classmates puffing a stick of Marlboro in the ruins of Intramuros, Manila where we usually hangout way back. Maybe it was also because of peer pressure, something I felt I should do to stay “in” in the “cool crowd”. Ever since, I never stopped smoking until I learned I was pregnant. For 9 long months I didn’t dared to even hold a stick, even after giving birth. I stopped burning a cigarette for 6 more months.

After that, I went back to normal. Vices like drinking alcohol and smoking became as normal as sleeping and eating. It became part of my everyday life, part of my daily budget and a part of me that I just can’t quit. I even told my friends I can relinquish drinking but not smoking.

After all the warnings of our local government on how harmful smoking is and how it possibly kills people, and on how it increases the risk of lung cancer, still I continue one of my favorite things to do. I smoke whenever I’m full from eating, whenever I have nothing to do, when I feel upset after a stressful day, whenever I hangout in a coffee shop, whenever I just feel like I want to.

There’s this one night me and my friend went to play billiards in Malate, Manila. I went out to buy some stuff in the nearest convenience store and on my way to the hall, I took one stick from my pocket and lit it, began to puff. A lady approached me said “Good thing you weren’t seen by cops because of that!” looking at my precious tobacco. Without any idea, I asked her and said coldly “why?” she told me that there’s already an anti-smoking ban ongoing around Metro Manila and I shouldn’t be roaming around holding one. What the heck? First of all, I was disappointed because of the fact that I can’t smoke anywhere I want and second, I don’t want to be jailed or pay a certain amount of money just to acquit myself. Luckily, I wasn’t caught.

Now, I learned that this so called ban started May 30, 2011. It was implemented by the provisions of Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 and the anti-smoking prohibitions of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. Whoever will be caught will be giving a 500-peso fine or render an eight-hour community service.

I was thinking as why this organization would do something like this. I mean prohibiting people to smoke on any public places? Probably it’s mainly because smoking contributes pollution in our community. Other than this, maybe our government just wanted people like me to care on our own health and start living without vices such as smoking. Or at least minimize it perhaps?

Well, I acknowledge the good aftermath of this petition. Not just for us to be responsible for our environment but clearly it aims us to think about our body, our health. Nowadays, I’ve been trying to minimize my smoking habit. And if possible totally diminish it from my everyday being. Day by day, I’m trying to kick the butt. Not because it isn’t allowed, but it’s because I want to be responsible enough not to add more problems on our society. And I hope you too.