As more Southeast Asian countries move to prohibit vape products, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano renewed calls for the Philippines to adopt a similar ban, warning that the country should not fall behind its regional neighbors in protecting public health.

Myanmar recently became the eighth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to implement a total ban on vape products. It now joins Brunei, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam in prohibiting the sale and use of such devices.

The issue has gained renewed attention amid data showing a surge in vaping among Filipino youth and following the country’s first recorded death linked to E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury in 2024.

In a recent privilege speech delivered on the Senate floor, Pia Cayetano pointed to what she described as a sharp increase in vaping among adolescents and rejected claims that vape products are a safer alternative to traditional tobacco.

“Based on a study of the DOST, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, the prevalence of e-cigarette smoking among adolescents aged 10 to 19 increased to 0.8 percent in 2015. This is less than 1 percent, to 39.3 percent, almost 40 percent in 2023. This is a crazy increase in statistics,” she said.

“The tobacco industry would like us to believe that vapes and all these alternative products are safer for us. That has been their battle cry. It is not safer, that is the big problem that we have right now,” she added.

The senator also criticized what she described as weak enforcement of current regulations, reiterating that she opposed the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act when it was passed in the previous Congress.

To address gaps in regulation, Cayetano highlighted her proposed measure that seeks to transfer oversight of vape products from the Department of Trade and Industry to the Food and Drug Administration, arguing that the latter has the appropriate mandate and technical expertise to regulate health-related products.

“Mula noong araw na pinasa natin y’ang vape law na yan, hindi pa rin nagte-test. The vape law gave the DTI the power to test and to regulate. They're not doing their job,” she said.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano underscored the urgency of stronger government action, framing the issue as a public health concern with potentially deadly consequences.

“Every single day we delay [banning vape products,] may mga buhay na nalalagay sa panganib,” he said.

With more ASEAN countries implementing strict prohibitions on vape products, the Cayetano siblings said the Philippines has an opportunity to strengthen its policies to better protect young people and address the health risks associated with nicotine use.

-Paraluman News