Senator eyes bill on e-cigarette regulation

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said the first reported case of electronic cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) in the country should be enough to prompt a stricter regulation on the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes. (File Photo: Senator Win Gatchalian/Facebook)

MANILA — A senator on Friday said he is preparing a proposal to regulate the sale and distribution of electronic cigarettes, vapes, and other nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems in the Philippines.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said the first reported case of electronic cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) in the country should be enough to prompt a stricter regulation on the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes.

Gatchalian raised concern over the marketing of e-cigarettes as a safer product, which makes it appealing and available to teenagers.

“Prevention is better than cure. Ngayon nga na nagtala na ang Department of Health ng isang kaso ng EVALI dito sa Pilipinas, nararapat lang na i-regulate ang paggamit ng e-cigarettes at vapes dito sa Pilipinas para hindi na dumami pa ang kaso ng EVALI dito sa bansa (Now that the Department of Health reported the first EVALI case in the Philippines, it is crucial to regulate the use of e-cigarettes and vapes to prevent more cases of EVALI in the country),” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian cited data from the Euromonitor showing that as of 2018, the smoking population of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the Philippines grew to 226,700. The same data show that the Philippines has been ranked 3rd among the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) members in terms of the smoking population.

The senator also stressed the need to establish a regulatory framework to check the safety claims of the e-cigarettes that are being sold in the market, noting that several manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of these products are claiming that e-cigarettes are safer or healthier alternatives to traditional cigarettes.

“This is necessary to assure the public of the effects on their health of the chemicals or substances they ingest in their bodies,” Gatchalian said.

“Let’s not wait for another patient to be confined, or even worse die, as a result of EVALI. It’s time to regulate these smoking devices and save the lives of many Filipinos, particularly the youth,” he added.