Pressure mounted on Tuesday for President-apparent Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to give up his smoking habit as more voices joined the growing clamor for him to quit smoking for his own sake and that of his country. Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral warned that the smoking habit not only endangers Aquino health-wise but also poses a security risk for him. Speaking in a radio interview, Cabral said it would be difficult to secure the incoming president if he is outside a building puffing a cigarette. “Mr. Aquino should take pity on the Presidential Security Group which may find it more difficult to ensure his security if he decides to smoke 10 meters away from a government building such as Malacanang,” Cabral said. Cabral said Philippine laws disallow smoking in or near government buildings, including the Malacanang presidential palace. She said under Republic Act 9211 and the Civil Service Commission, smoking may constitute a violation of office rules and procedures. Despite the rising calls for him to quit smoking, Aquino said he would not quit smoking yet, claiming that the habit would help ease the pressures posed by his new post. But he promised to quit “at the appropriate time.” Former President Fidel V. Ramos earlier joined concerned individuals in trying to persuade Aquino to quit smoking. Ramos urged Aquino to do away with his smoking habit for the interest of public service. Citing himself as an example, Ramos said he decided to quit smoking since the day when he was appointed a member of the Cabinet of former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino in 1986. Although he still appears in public and before the media with a tobacco stick in his fingers, he doesn't light or smoke the tobacco since it is a mere props. Aquino's spokesperson, Edwin Lacierda, thanked Ramos for his advice but said the incoming president is “a responsible adult who knows what's best for himself.” Lacierda likened Aquino to President Barack Obama of the United States, who said he might quit smoking but still does. “Like President Obama, smoking is Senator Aquino's way of reliving stress so let's just give him some time to eventually quit his vice,” Lacierda said. Cabral said once Aquino stops smoking, he would exemplify “excellent leadership by example.”
