Senators, medical groups urge Marcos to veto vape bill

Senators Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano, with several medical groups, on Wednesday urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to veto the proposed Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act or the vape bill.

“Mr. President, veto this bill. Allow your secretaries to study them on their own with the proper timing. But for now, the right to do is to veto the vape bill,” Pia Cayetano said in a press conference.

She stressed the Sin Tax law is enough to regulate the use of vapes.

“What the proponents of the vape bill do not say in public is that they do not like the Sin Tax law. Gusto nila baliktarin ang Sin Tax law. The Sin Tax law contains the three protective measures that we’ll put in place,” she said.

The senator said these three measures are limiting the sale of products to 21 year olds, limiting of flavors to plain tobacco and plain menthol, and keeping the regulation of vapes under the Food and Drug Administration.

The vape bill seeks to transfer regulatory powers over the products to the Department of Trade and Industry. The vape bill also seeks to lower the age limit to 18 years.

“Saan naman kayo nakarinig, saang bansa, na ang Department of Trade and Industry ay may kinalaman sa kalusugan ng tao dito sa Pilipinas. ‘Yan ang nasa vape bill at ‘yan ang gusto nating maliwanagan ang ating Presidente,” Pia said.

(Where have you heard, what country, that the DTI is in charge of the health of the people. That is the vape bill and that is what we want the President to understand.)

“Because he is new and I acknowledge na when you are new in the office, sa dami ng problema, pupwedeng hindi pa niya malaman lahat ng ito. Pwes, sana po during this press conference, mabigyan natin ng tamang impormasyon ang Presidente para makagawa siya ng tamang desisyon,” she added.

(Because he is new and I acknowledge that when you are new in the office, because of the many problems, he may not know this yet. Well, I hope that we can give him the right information so he could make the right decision.)

She also stressed that the secretaries of former President Rodrigo Duterte had also urged the latter to veto the vape bill, including the Department of Health and the Department of Education.

For his part, Alan Cayetano expressed frustration on the supposed hiding of the vape bill. Cayetano previously said the bill was already passed in January but was “sitting on” the table at the House of Representatives.

“Of course, frustrated din kami na napuslit itong bill na ito, no, itong vape bill. Grabe naman 'yang strategy, itatago mo muna, hindi mo ipo-forward tapos kung kailan magpapalit… but we’re making headway,” he said.

He said this is the reason they are appealing to Marcos to veto the bill so there will be “no moral and legal problem.”

“And if Malacañang believes in it, then ipa-file ulit. But to do it this way, medyo, I don’t think it will be good,” he said.

The senators were joined by representatives from the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, the Philippine Heart Association, Health Justice Philippines, the Philippine College of Physicians, and the Healthcare Alliance against COVID-19.

PHA president Erric Cinco said e-cigarette use is associated with a 34% increase risk in of heart attacks, 25% increase in risk of coronary artery diseases, and a 65% increase in risk of suffering from depression or anxiety.

Meanwhile, pediatrician Maria Avanceña hoped Marcos will announce that he has vetoed the vape bill during his first State of the Nation Address on June 25.

“Kayong may mga anak, may pamangkin, I’m sure hindi niyo sila gusto malunod sa vice. So kay President, Mr. President, I’m sure whatever laws you plan for the country will always be for your children too,” Avanceña said.

“I’m sure you will think of them so sana sa inyong SONA, isa sa sasabihin ninyo is na-veto ninyo po ang inyong vape bill,” she added.

Dr. Antonio Dans of the Healthcare Alliance, meanwhile, said studies show that there is a 100% increased risk of smoking should non-smokers use vape.

He said there is also a 350% increase in the chance to excessive alcohol drinking and a 500% increased risk of the use of illicit drugs.

“This is not a regulatory bill, it is a deregulatory bill, it lightens regulation for the reasons previously cited. Number two, our review of the literature shows it is not harm reduction, it is harm introduction by introducing non-smokers to smoking in the future, future use of alcohol in abusive quantities, and illicit drug use,” he said.—AOL, GMA News