1Tahanan Partylist Representative Nathaniel Oducado has expressed alarm over increasing consumption of vape or electronic cigarettes among the Filipino youth.
Yesterday, almost P40 million worth of unregistered vape products were confiscated by the NBI in Manila and Laguna.
Oducado filed a formal resolution to seek an inquiry in aid of legislation on current implementation issues with Republic Act 11900 or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act.
House Resolution No. 43 shall address the regulatory gaps and agency jurisdiction issues, particularly DTI’s regulatory power over e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
He stressed that there are misconceptions on the use of vape, making it more rampant among underaged students near schools.
“Surveys indicate 14% of youth are using e-cigarettes and 70% believe it is less harmful than smoking, while 51% treat this as a cessation tool”, he said.
Rep. Oducado cited aggressive marketing as one of the contributing factors wherein despite bans, influencers continue to endorse vaping on social media and at live events, reaching millions of young followers.
Vape companies also use bright packaging, lanyards and minimal ID checks, with vendors prioritizing transactions over age verification.
The neophyte lawmaker cited a DTI report, which found that 229 out of 621 vape stores are non-compliant based on retail audits, while online marketplace enforcement is even weaker, with only 0.7% of 31,570 monitored stores are compliant.
Moreover, Oducado explained that critics argue that youth can easily access vaporized products due to the age restriction which is currently set at 18.
“The existing law can be strengthened by aligning with the United Kingdom’s evidence-informed policies, particularly in protecting minors, capping nicotine levels, enforcing plain packaging, banning dangerous additives, requiring pre-market approval, as well as improving product and health surveillance”, he added.
In the UK, the sale of e-cigarettes is restricted to 18 years old and above and age verification is required online and in physical stores. In addition, there is an imposition of cross-border regulation wherein online sales must be notified to UK authorities and all vaping products must be registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Oducado believes that there should be a national campaign focusing on awareness to address misconceptions that vaping is safe, as well as banning advertisements enticing the youth to become vape users.
“We must prioritize youth-targeted research on long-term effects and respiratory health. It is also high time to strengthen regulatory inspection and monitoring of vape products, especially flavored and illicit variants”, the solon emphasized.
He further said that while there were only 7 cases of severe vape-induced lung injury (EVALI) reported, each one occurred in young individuals without underlying conditions.
