Camp John Hay declared no-smoking zone

CAMP John Hay is now a no-smoking zone, the regulators of the City of Pines' popular tourist destination-cum-watershed and economic zone told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday.

“Locators have pledged to jointly adopt and implement the President’s (smokefree) order in John Hay,” Zaldy Bello, administration department manager of John Hay Special Economic Zone, said.

Bello said the John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) and the business enterprises in the economic zone signed the smokefree agreement on April 18.

The John Hay official said the agreement has three main objectives. First is to support President Rodrigo Duterte's no-smoking drive. Second is to maintain clean air inside the camp, and third is to prevent forest fire in the watershed area.

The smoke-free environment covers the JHSEZ with an area of 301 hectares, where locators and establishments operate, plus the 625 hectares are

thickly forested and serve as Baguio City's watershed.

In its air quality monitoring report, the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Cordillera said Camp John Hay continues to enjoy "very good" air quality, which it said, is perfect for people's health.

The bureau added Camp John Hay also has the biggest remaining forest cover in Baguio City, thus the need to protect its environs.

The administrators of the camp, however, has still designated some smoking areas, and the rule will be enforced by the JHMC's Security Services Department.