Stores told not to sell tobacco while serving food

The Anti-Smoking Task Force (ASTF) of Davao City, the Philippines, has warned the convenience store chain 7-Eleven that it should either stop selling cigarettes or risk its business permit.

The ASTF alleges that a number of convenience stores in the city are selling cigarettes while serving food at the same time, which is prohibited.

Domilyn Villareiz, the head of ASTF, said that her organization had obtained a legal opinion from the City Legal Office stating that those establishments selling cigarettes were not allowed to have refreshment parlors within their buildings.

Villareiz said also that ASTF wanted to remind the convenience stores that had opened during the last quarter of 2015 that they were not allowed to sell cigarettes within 100 meters of the boundary of a school.