Iloilo City hosted the first quarterly meeting of the Philippine chapter of the Southeast Asian Tobacco Control Alliance last week at City Hall.

Fifteen mayors and focal persons participated in the meeting.

Smoke-Free Cities of Asia Pacific Network president, Dinalupihan Mayor Gila Garcia, said they discussed protocol for the implementation of tobacco control programs.

“We were inspired by the anti-smoking initiatives of Iloilo City and motivated to make more projects for the youth,” the mayor explained. “I would like to benchmark Iloilo City and its officials to be inspirational speakers and resource persons for our enforcement in Bataan.”

“We really want to sustain our members, share best practices, and make them very active,” she added.

Prior to the meeting, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas called the event an opportunity to showcase “smoke-free tourism assets.”/WDJ