IS SMOKING DANGEROUS?

“Cigarette Smoking is Dangerous to your Health,” they said. But which isn’t dangerous? I agree if smoking tobacco is done excessively. Like any consumer goods, tobacco will cause diseases that lead a person to death. Excessively eating of good food in the evening causes death (Bangongot). There are some incidents of deaths believed caused by over eating.

    In the case of cigarette smoking, it will also cause diseases which will eventually lead one to death if he over smoked. However, smoking in moderation, limited only to after meal will promote friendship. It is an avenue to start conversation and enhances agreement on certain matters.

    Science has proven that excessive smoking hastens the smoker’s death due to that nicotine content in tobacco which causes cancer.

    This is understandable for even food, and almost all edible things cause diseases. Excess rice in one’s diet causes Beri Beri, a deficiency disease caused by lack of vitamin and thiamine in the diet. Beri Beri is characterized by nerve disorders. There is swelling of the body.

    The excess in the in-take of sugar causes Diabetes, a diseases characterized by the heavy discharge of urine and intense thirst. There is insulin deficiency. There is sugar excess in the blood and urine. Any victim of Diabetes is often hungry, thirsty and   losses weight.

    For one thing, anybody who over ate becomes obese, very fat and corpulent. A person who is obese is highly susceptible to several diseases. To live healty is by moderation in everything. To live in moderation is to extend life expectancy. To minimize the attack of any disease, is to eat food in moderate amount, just enough to nourish the body.

RIGHTS OF SPECIAL WORKERS

Special Workers or special groups of employees such as children, women, and handicapped workers are protected by the Labor Code. 

        CHILDREN

Minors are treated similarly, subject to certain exceptions. Children below 15 may not be employed unless they are under the direct responsibility of their parents or guardians and work under the following conditions:

1. The employment does not endangered their safety, health and morals, 

2. The employment does not impair their normal development, and 

3. The employer, parent or guardian provide them with primary or secondary education or both as prescribed by the Department of Education. In case a child’s  employment is in public entertainment or information through cinema, theater, radio or television. The employment must not involve advertisement, or commercial promoting alcohol beverages, intoxicating drinks, tobacco and its by-products, or exhibit violence. The employment be approved by the Department of Labor and Employment. Minors whose ages range from 15 to 18 years may be employed as long as employment does not expose them. All employers must report to the labor department all children under their employ to ensure compliance with these rules. 

           WOMEN

The State treats women as full and equal partners of men in development and nation building. It is unlawful for any employer to discriminate against women employees by paying them less, giving them less benefits, favoring male employees over them with regard to promotion, training and study grants, or requiring them to stay single as a condition to employment. No employee on account of her pregnancy is refused admission back to work for fear she becomes pregnant again.

  Every pregnant women at the time of delivery or miscarriage, whether married or unmarried, is entitled to maternity leave benefits up to the first four deliveries or miscarriages. The labor department requires employers to provide their employees with proper seats, separate washrooms and dressing rooms, and appropriate minimum age and other standards for termination and retirement to ensure their health and safety.    

HANDICAPPED   WORKERS

Those whose earning capacity is impaired by age or physical or mental deficiency or injury are handicapped workers. 

No employer must deny any qualified disabled person access to suitable employment or give him compensation, privileges, benefits, fringe benefits, incentives and allowance that are lower than those he grants to a qualified able bodied person.

Private employers hiring qualified disabled people are entitled to an additional deduction from their gross income. All they have to do to be entitled to it is to present proof that these employees are under their employ./MP