Philippine Senators Urge to Tighten Vaping Regulation

According to local media reports, Philippine senators are urging the legislature to introduce a "Four-step Progressive" policy to strengthen the supervision of e-cigarettes and protect young people.

The four policies include:

1. Raise the minimum legal age for e-cigarettes from 18 to 25;

2. Simple packaging of e-cigarette products;

3. Ban flavored products;

4. Restrict online sales of e-cigarettes;

5. Increase the consumption tax on electronic cigarettes.

Ulysses Dorotheo, executive director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), commented during a Senate Committee Hearing on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Future Thinking last Friday. Ulysses emphasized that a permanent ban on e-cigarette regulation is the "long-term desirable outcome."

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (PH FDA) supported Ulysses' proposal. Meanwhile, PH FDA also expressed that they hope the Ministry of Trade and Industry would transfer jurisdiction over e-cigarette regulation to them during a Senate panel hearing chaired by Senator Pia Cayetano.

On February 1, the Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) called on the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to crack down on illegal e-cigarette products to regulate the import, manufacture, sale, packaging, distribution, use and spread of e-cigarette products.

On February 10, Philippine senators proposed that the legislature introduce policies to strengthen the supervision of e-cigarettes to protect young people. On this matter, 2Firsts interviewed Ron Sison, chairman of the Asian Harm Reduction Forum and assistant professor of the Department of Medical Technology at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines. Ron believes that the ideas of these senators are still in the proposal stage, and a draft has yet to be formed or even passed. This can only show that these senators support the strengthening of regulation on e-cigarettes. As a result, the proposed regulatory regimes for legal age, flavored e-cigarettes, packaging, retailing, and more, still need more time to be realized.

In addition, Ron also said that the thoughts of these congressmen reflect the fact that many people in the Philippines have a wrong understanding and perception of e-cigarettes. They believe that e-cigarettes are as harmful to people as cigarettes.

2Firsts will continue to follow this topic, and please stay tuned.