A nationwide ban on smoking in public places is set to be signed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte this month. <br /><br /> Among the toughest anti-tobacco laws in southeast Asia, the new policy would prohibit people from lighting up everywhere from parks to public transport. <br /><br /> After his deadly campaign against illegal drugs, smokers will be hoping for a milder implementation of this crackdown.<br /><br /> Duterte wants a 100 percent smoke-free environment in public placeshttps://t.co/JjPdSzDyXH— Yahoo Philippines (@YahooPH) 12 octobre 2016<br /><br /> Around 17 million people, or nearly a third of the adult population, smoke in the Philippines, according to a 2014 report by Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, – the second highest in the region after Indonesia. <br /><br /> The proposed smoking ban replicates on a national level an existing law in Davao City, where Duterte ruled as mayor for 22 years until his rise to the presidency earlier this year.<br /><br /> When Duterte was in Davao, he once personally forced a man to stub out his cigarette and eat it after he refused to stop smoking in a restaurant, according to media reports.<br />
