Philippine Mayors Tell City Workers to Smile or Face Discipline

Soon after taking office last month as mayor of a town in the northern Philippines, Aristotle Aguirre signed an order to fulfill one of his campaign promises.

Executive Order No. 002 Series of 2022 did not just require all local government employees to smile when serving the public. It also threatened disciplinary action for those who did not comply.

“Frowning is not allowed in the municipality!” the mayor said in a

last week announcing his “smile policy.” The order made…