Experts endorse anti-cigs bill

Medical and scientific experts urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to give the vape bill a chance and make a difference in the lives of 16 million Filipino smokers, many of whom will die if not given access to safer alternatives.

“The bottom line is that vaping can help smokers stop smoking and in the process reduce the number of deaths and sickness due to smoking,” a group of medical practitioners, healthcare professionals, academicians, researchers, and experts in various scientific fields said in a letter addressed to the President through Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez on 8 July 2022.

The signatories called for the enactment of the vape bill as the Philippines' first comprehensive law to regulate vapor products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

The vape bill is a reconciled version of Senate Bill 2239 or the “Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act” and House Bill 9007 or the “Non-Combustible Nicotine Delivery Systems Regulation Act.”

Mitigation measure

“We believe that it could help mitigate the serious health risks and possibly save the lives of more than 16 million current Filipino smokers who are at very high risk from getting sick and dying due to smoking-related complications,” the signatories said in the letter.

“We believe the passage of the Vape Bill will be a historic milestone that will become part of your administration's legacy. Once enacted into law, it will reinforce the concerted efforts to end the smoking epidemic once and for all, and help save countless lives,” they said.

“The potential benefits of saving, or at the very least enhancing the quality of lives and improving long-term outcomes of smokers, with this bill once enacted into law, is a big opportunity we could not afford to lose,” they added.