The International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO) has alleged illegal external intervention by charitable organizations and the Philippine Food and Drug Administration during a public hearing on the Vape Bill. Members of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker and Southern Representative Deogracias Victor Savellano, and Nueva Ecija Representative Estrellita Suansing have called for a thorough investigation.
With the support of health advocates and the vast majority of lawmakers, the government of the Philippines has approved the "E-Cigarette Act" based on scientific evidence and the principle of saving lives. The law, also known as HB 9007 and SB2239 and commonly referred to as the Vape Bill, will be effective until July 25, 2022. It has now been officially renamed as the Republic Act 11900. This marks a significant step towards favoring public health.
Evidence has shown that an effective way to reduce harm is to help many countries lower their smoking rates, including the UK, New Zealand, France, Japan, and Sweden. For instance, smoking rates in the UK have decreased to 12.3%. In the past five years, cigarette sales in Japan have dropped by 40%. Sweden currently has the lowest smoking rate in the entire EU.
The International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organizations (INNCO) congratulates the public health advocates, harm reduction supporters, and regulatory agencies in the Philippines for their tireless efforts in promoting the new Vape bill for life-saving measures. INNCO also hopes that this harm reduction approach serves as an example for saving the lives of smokers.
Dr. Charles Gardner, Executive Director of INNCO, suggests that preventing minors from using adult products and encouraging adults to quit smoking can help mitigate the terrible deaths caused by cancer, heart disease, and lung disease.
INNCO has noticed that the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will be held in Panama City in November 2023. If history repeats itself, INNCO's observer status application will be rejected, just as it was in COP9 (2021) and COP8 (2018). Most journalists will also be expelled, as in all previous FCTC COPs. Unlike the well-known open and transparent United Nations climate change "COPs", FCTC COPs are closed and opaque, excluding the voices of the 112 million people using safer nicotine alternatives. Many non-profit organizations that have obtained observer status at FCTC Conference of the Parties have obvious conflicts of interest.
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