AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray T. Reyes said there is an urgent need to revisit existing policies on vaping to mitigate the possible onset of e-cigarette or vape-associated lung injury (EVALI) among the youth.
Reyes urged fellow lawmakers to revisit Republic Act 11900, or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, and is pushing to transfer the mandate of regulating vape products to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instead of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“We’ve been warning everyone for years on the mistake of putting the vape law under DTI supervision. 2 years lang ang lumipas and now we see the consequences of it,” Reyes said.
Reyes cited the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 14 percent of Filipinos – or one in every seven – between 13 and 15 years old, are already using e-cigarettes.
“We need to revise the IRR to return vape products to DOH and FDA instead of DTI,” he added.
Reyes cited reports from the Philippine College of Chest Physicians which showed increasing numbers of EVALI cases nationwide.
EVALI is a medical condition causing lung damage from substances found in vaping products.
“While these products are usually branded as a safer alternative to cigarettes, they still pose many health risks,” Reyes said.
Reyes also expressed concern over the increasing number of teenagers in the country that are using vape.
He cited the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 14 percent of Filipinos – or one in every seven – between 13 and 15 years old, are already using e-cigarettes.
“It is very alarming that more and more Filipino youth are using vape and e-cigarettes,” Reyes said.
“We should double our efforts in enforcing smoking and vaping laws, especially for minors,” he added.
According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), more than 8,600 minors were caught violating vaping and smoking laws from May to December 2023.
