George Cruz, the group’s president, said in an interview that they will ask Senate President Pete P. Reyes to sit down with the House of Representatives in a conference committee to address their differences on House Bill 16-47, or the Smoke-Free Air Act of 2008.
The Senate version allows businesses to apply for either full or partial exemptions.
The House on May 19 rejected the Senate’s proposal and sent the bill to a bicameral conference committee.
Cruz said their coalition is concerned about the Senate’s version of the bill.
He said the public has expressed strong support for H.B. 16-47 as it was originally introduced
They are concerned, he added, about the involvement of money in granting exemption to an establishment.
The Senate wants to give businesses the flexibility of accommodating smokers and non-smokers.
The Senate version will allow businesses to designate smoking areas.
Cruz noted that under the Senate proposal, a company has to pay $2,000 a year if it wants to have 10 percent of its establishment designated a smoking area.
For full exemption, the business will have to pay $10,000.
The coalition, Cruz said, is totally against exemptions.
He said second-hand smoke causes a lot of chronic diseases.
“We support H.B. 16-47 with out the Senate’s proposal for partial and full exemptions,” he said.
Their coalition, he added, is willing to work with Rota and Tinian regarding these islands’ casino establishments whose many customers are smokers.
“We know their issue about the casinos and we’re willing to work with them,” Cruz said, adding that there’s a way to compromise, “but the bottom-line is we cannot compromise anyone’s health anymore.”
Even businesses support smoke-free air, he added.
Josie Dionisio, manager of Jhems Restaurant along Beach Road, said making their establishment smoke-free did not “chase away” customers who smoke.
Bong and Lannie of Shirley’s Garapan said they have prohibited smoking at the restaurant since last year, but it did not affect their sales.
They said when the restaurant became a non-smoking area, they started seeing families with many children coming in.
Nono Bostre, a smoker and regular customer of Jhems, said there should always be a smoking area — at least outside the establishment.
