MANILA: AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray T. Reyes on Tuesday urged fellow legislators to revisit the law and existing policies that govern and regulate the use of vape products amid the growing concern over the possible onset of e-cigarette or vape-associated lung injury (EVALI) among the youth. Reyes is calling for a thorough review of the Republic Act 11900, or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, and is pushing to transfer the mandate of regulating vape products from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "We've been warning everyone for years on the mistake of putting the vape law under DTI supervision. Two years lang ang lumipas (Only two years have passed) and now we see the consequences of it," Reyes said. "We need to revise the IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations) to return vape products to DOH (Department of Health) and FDA instead of DTI," he added. Reyes cited reports from the Philippine College of Chest Physicians w hich showed a nationwide surge in the number of cases of EVALI, 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 as he expressed serious concern over the increasing number of teenagers in the country using vape. He also cited the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey showing that 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. We should double our efforts in enforcing smoking and vaping laws, especially for minors," Reyes said. According to the Philippine National Police, more than 8,600 minors were caught violating vaping and smoking laws from May to December 2023. Source: Philippines News Agency
