The approval of the Philippine e-cigarette bill will accelerate the decline in smoking rates in the Philippines, two international public health experts said.

The Philippine House of Representatives approved Bill (HB) 9007 in third instance on May 25, 2021, while the Senate approved its version of Bill (SB) 2239 on December 16, 2021.

SB 2239 and HB 9007 are designed to regulate the manufacture, sale and use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTP), which according to some scientific studies are less harmful than combustible cigarettes.

Dr. Riccardo Polosa, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Catania in Italy, praised the Philippine Congress for approving the Vapor Nicotine Product (VNP) Act.

"The VPN Bill is a step in the right direction," Polosa said in a letter to Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto 3rd and House Speaker Allan Velasco. "The VPN bill is also expected to accelerate the decline in smoking rates in the Philippines."

Clive Bates, director of Nigeria and UK Counterfactual Consulting Ltd, agreed with Polosa. Vapor nicotine products are far less harmful to health than smoking, and there is little direct evidence that vaping nicotine or HTP is more harmful, he said.

Polosa noted that the VPN Act has strong provisions to protect minors from touching and consuming these devices. It prohibits the sale and use to minors, and the sale, promotion and promotion of vaping products around schools and within 100 meters of playgrounds.

He added that flavor descriptors that are overly appealing to minors are prohibited in vaping products and that vaping products are not displayed next to products of particular interest to minors.

However, the Philippine Department of Health (DoH) has refused to approve a bill aimed at further expanding access to vaping nicotine and non-nicotine products.

The department described SB2239 as "backwards," with provisions that conflicted with public health goals and international standards. SB2239 also undermines the country's progress in tobacco and control.

The Ministry of Health has emphasized that the bill, once passed into law, will pass the temptation and accessibility of vaping products by lowering the age of use of vaping products from 21 to 18, allowing the use of flavorings, and allowing for advertising and sponsorship tactics. , expose our youth to harmful and addictive substances.

The DOH said the approval of SB 2239 puts Filipino youth "at risk." The DOH cited the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, which shows that the prevalence of e-cigarette use among Filipino youth is increasing.

A recent study conducted by the Philippine Academy of Pediatrics and the Department of Education also indicated that the age of starting e-cigarettes starts from 10 to 15 years old.

"This makes teens and young adults more likely to initiate smoking and subsequent nicotine addiction," the agency said.

The Ministry of Health maintains that vaping products are harmful and not without risks and should be regulated as health products due to their toxic substances and effects.

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