CHILD Rights Network and its convenor, the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development, called on legislators to give priority to children and youth in the deliberation of bills that seek to promote electronic nicotine delivery systems or vapes.

The bills are in the period of sponsorship in the House of Representatives. The groups, along with health advocates, warned legislators and the public against the dangerous provisions of the current version of the bill that reverses the regulatory framework established by Republic Act 11467.

The law puts the Food and Drug Administration in charge of the regulation of these products.

“These are the safeguards that protect the public, particularly children and young people, from the harms of electronic cigarettes,” the groups said in a statement.

They warned that the current version of the bill as sponsored in the plenary of the House of Representatives has dangerous provisions.

“Rather than tightening the regulation, the bill reverses the regulation introduced by RA 11467 by removing the regulation from FDA and assigning it to the Department of Trade and Industry, where it will be treated as just another consumer product, lowers the age restriction to 18, and expands the list of flavors allowed,” they said.

“There is enough evidence to prove that these products cause significant harm to its users, whether they are shifting from traditional cigarettes or are new users altogether. The industry also targets children and young people as their new users through their attractive flavors and trendy marketing,” the groups added.

In the Philippines, 11.7 percent of students have tried or experimented with electronic cigarettes, according to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey in 2015.

According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, in 2019, one of five vape users in the country are adolescents or 19 years old and below.

“Under this global pandemic, the health of every Filipino should be our topmost priority. Let us protect children and young people from the harms of these products and the deception of the industry behind it,” the groups noted.