Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) has unknowingly been the site of illegal on-campus smoking for the past seven years—but with the end of the schoolyear approaching, a memorandum has already been passed divesting the university of all illegal smoking.
Ever since the Tobacco Regulation Act (RA 9211) of 2003, smoking was prohibited in “centers of youth activity such as… colleges and universities.”
In an attempt to satisfy the law, Ateneo created designated smoking areas called the smoker’s pocket gardens, or smockets, strategically placed in areas around the college.
Prior to that, it was common for members of both the faculty and student body to smoke anywhere in the university other than classrooms.
Due to a recent visit by DOH personnel, however, it was noted that these smockets were not permissible by RA 9211 and therefore Ateneo’s policies on smoking needed to be revisited.
During the past few months, forums were held regarding the issue and students and faculty members participated in several focus group discussions.
The main concern, according to ADSA officials, was the security of the students who would no doubt continue to smoke, but perhaps opt to go outside the campus to do so.
When approached, most smocket frequenters (students, faculty, and even maintenance personnel) admitted that they would likely find a way to smoke in hidden areas because it would be too difficult to stop altogether.
Albeit, they commonly agree that there is no other way but to comply because the law is nationwide and will definitely be for the benefit of the university’s population.
Dr. John Paul C. Vergara, the incoming Vice-President of the Loyola Schools, sought the help of student government Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng mga Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo de Manila (Sanggu) to gather feedback from the students on the abolishment of smockets.
This would help give the administration an overview of other possible issues that will arise from the implementation of the new regulation.
Since the rule encompasses the entire university, we also asked the High School department for their input; the faculty members said that they had been avoiding smoking for months now because of the newly constructed High School library extension, which gave students a clear view of their personal smoking area.
However, all agree that it is unlikely that smoking is completely eliminated as there are still areas in the university that are obscured from view and it would be impossible to completely control each individual’s decision to smoke.
The various smockets have become a refuge for smokers who come together during their breaks.
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