The Department of Education (DepEd) has acknowledged smoking and vaping as a coping mechanism of some children – and the agency wants to end this through a holistic approach.

DepEd assistant secretary Dr. Dexter Galban said e-cigarettes, including vapes, are no less harmful compared to tobacco products.

"It transmits nicotine into the system. And it can be very, very addictive - if not more addictive - given the fact that you still crave for it, you demand for it. It is something that you feel that you need to function well and to cope with stress,” Galban told ABS-CBN News.

“Ang nilalayon ng DepEd [ay] healthy coping mechanisms. We need to create programs and campaigns that will heavily reinforce that they don't need these products to feel happy, to feel confident, to feel stress-free," he added.

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Galban said aside from schools, national and local governments, learners themselves will be trained to help combat smoking.

“They themselves as more likely the residents of the communities near the school, they can file and push for ordinances whether through their SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) or through their local city government that will impose stricter rules on tobacco and e-cigarette regulation," he explained.

The official said DepEd will launch more sports and mental health programs, better data collection, and networking with concerned government agencies and non-government organizations to better protect the youth from the vice, and inform them so as not to be swayed by how tobacco products are marketed.

"One of the things that we have to do is to provide additional policy guidelines so that teachers and non-teaching personnel would be more familiar what these products are all about, and how they negatively impact the health and well-being of our learners. Kailangan alam nila kung ano iyong mga produktong ito, ano ang itsura ng mga produktong ito," Galban shared.

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'Marketing' of tobacco products

For Galban, anti-tobacco advocates must "keep the messaging strong" as "our opponents here are very adept in marketing".

"Typically, e-cigarette companies, tobacco companies would use the power of media, power of marketing in order to sell. The targets would be our young learners because they can be seen as replacement smokers, replacement e-cigarette smokers because their life spans are much longer and at the same time, they can provide them more attractive marketing campaigns," he explained.

Aside from the integration of its anti-smoking campaign to DepEd's "MATATAG" curriculum, the agency has issued Department Memorandum 111 in 2019, which prohibits the use of e-cigarettes and reinforces the absolute tobacco smoking ban in schools and department offices.

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Galban describes this as a “strong follow-up” to an earlier order which lists the policy and guidelines on comprehensive tobacco control within the school setting.

The official said stronger policy guidelines are expected to be released, which will combine substance abuse prevention programs of DepEd as these have an impact on the life and well-being of learners.