Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778040162896176394926371120240531-vape-smoking-MT-1.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">An individual is photographed vaping in Quezon City on May 31, 2024. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em><br/></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATE)</strong> — The safeguards on the use of vape are not enough, according to Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/07/26/22/controversial-vape-bill-lapses-into-law">Controversial bill lowering the age for vape access lapses into law: Palace</a></div><p>During the May 6 hearing of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography on Senate Bill 21 or the “Vapes and HTPs Regulation Act,” committee chairperson Hontiveros said there is a lack in youth protection.</p><p>“Hindi sapat ang safeguards,” Hontiveros said. “May butas ang regulasyon lalo na online. At dapat public health ang sentro ng polisiya.”</p><p>“Online, isang click lang—‘I am 18’—at may delivery na o sa isang ‘PM’  lang, makakaiskor na agad sa sellers na nasa iba’t ibang social media platform. Walang totoong age verification, walang accountability,” she added. </p><p>“Malinaw, hindi na ito simpleng implementation gap. Ito ay malinaw na disconnect sa pagitan ng policy design at ng lived reality.”</p><p>Various online platforms assured they are implementing safety measures in prohibiting the sale of vape, tobacco, and nicotine products or that only those of legal age can purchase these, but the Department of Health (DOH) said it was still able to buy from a platform it did not identify.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/07/22/22/fda-calls-on-marcos-to-junk-vape-bill">FDA insists on power to regulate vapes, calls on Marcos to junk vape bill</a></div><p>“Tinry po ng team namin, just this morning 30 minutes before the Senate hearing, to make a fake account, yung self-declared lang po ang age verification niya. And we were able to place po, place a purchase for vapes. So nakikita rin po natin when they said na meron po tayong mga keywords na ginagamit. We didn’t use vape po na characters na v a p e. We used the characters v space p e. So nakalusot po siya,” said Dr. Dominic Maddumba, OIC-Director III of the DOH Health Promotion Bureau.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>BANNING IT?</strong></div><div> </div><p>“Even though there are regulations and restrictions on online sale, hindi po nakakasabay, hindi nakakasabay sa pace natin, I think the most logical thing to do to simplify the enforcement and the regulation to total banning it,” he added.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/06/23/22/puzzled-cayetano-says-vape-bill-in-limbo-in-lower-house">&#x27;Baka natatakot i-veto&#x27;: Puzzled Cayetano says vape bill in limbo in lower House</a></div><p>Maddumba also mentioned that in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), eight member states already banned vape. Only three member states allow the use of vape — the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, with Malaysia gearing towards banning it in 2026.</p><p>According to Maddumba, Republic Act 11900 or the &quot;Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act” also has loopholes in terms of tobacco advertisement promotion.</p><p>“Another vagueness of RA 11900 would be the definition of the point of sale. Dahil minsan ang intention po talaga noong dapat sa point of sale lang doon sa loob sana noong establishment. Ngunit ang sinasabi po nila na pati yung facade nila ay kasama ng point of sale, puwede po silang maglagay doon ng advertisement natin na puwede pong lumaki, puwede pong makita ng mga kabataan natin,” Maddumba explained.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/07/15/22/marcos-admin-inherits-vape-bill-health-groups-seek-veto">Marcos admin inherits vape bill; health groups seek veto</a></div><p>“Kung hindi po tayo magto-total ban, we restrict it just to plain tobacco flavor so that we wouldn’t entice our kids,” he added.</p><p>The DOH and Food and Drug Administration also propose to give back the regulation of vape to the FDA.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CHARGES </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>According to the Health Justice Philippines, it had filed complaints before the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) about violations of the law committed even by accredited companies.  </p><p>Frediswenda Beñas, DTI Division Chief, said they have filed 418 charges and issued preliminary preventive orders against 41 manufacturers, retailers or importers.</p><p>Joey Dulay, President of the Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association (PECIA), meanwhile, suggested heightened enforcement, similar to what the Bureau of Internal Revenue and DTI did last year, which helped go after illicit sellers.</p><p>“Yun bang tanggalin natin ang flavor or gawin nating 25 years ang legal age to buy vapes. Puwede po nating gawin yun. Pero ang mada-drive lang po natin mostly, pag ginawa nating tobacco flavor lang eh sa illicit market sangkatutak po na flavors. Baka po yung intention po ng ginagawa natin at mga ipinapasok sana natin na amendments o ano sa batas baka hindi po maganda ang maging result. Baka po mapunta lang tayo sa illicit market,” he stated.</p><p>The committee will hold a technical working group to finalize its report.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FRYqwrUzXMo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

Hontiveros says safeguards in vape use 'not enough' as DOH proposes total ban

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Hontiveros says safeguards in vape use 'not enough' as DOH proposes total ban

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 06, 2026 12:04 PM PHT

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Updated May 06, 2026 04:11 PM PHT

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