ZAMBOANGA CITY (November 3) – In a world where phones often steal the spotlight at the dinner table, Zamboanga City is taking a bold step to bring families back to real conversations—minus the screens.
Starting this November, restaurants and food establishments across the city will take part in the “No Phone Weekends” campaign, an advocacy that invites diners to put away their gadgets from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on all weekends of the month—November 8–9, 15–16, 22–23, and 29–30.
The campaign, spearheaded by the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) under chief Socorro Rojas, is part of the city’s observance of National Children’s Month and aims to restore the warmth of family mealtimes often lost to scrolling and screen time.
“We want families to look at each other again, talk again, and connect again,” Rojas said. “Shared meals should build memories, not just fill phones with photos.”
Rojas said the city consulted restaurant and fast-food managers—led by Councilor Benjamin Guingona III—who all expressed support for the initiative and agreed to set up “No Phone Zones” during the designated hours.
The advocacy is anchored on Resolution 013, Series of 2025, jointly approved by the Zamboanga City Council for the Protection of Children (ZCCPC) and the Zamboanga City Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons–Violence Against Women and Children (ZCCATIP-VAWC), encouraging eateries to enforce the temporary gadget ban to promote mindful family bonding.
For Rojas, the message is simple: “Disconnect to reconnect.”
