Manila, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) continues to urge lawmakers to pass a law implementing a total ban on vape products in the Philippines.
During the hearing of the Committee on Health and Demography led by Senator Risa Hontiveros, Civil Society Organizations and health experts emphasized the importance of a total ban and strict regulation of vape use, especially among the youth.
According to the Lung Center of the Philippines, awareness and use of vape is appearing at increasingly younger ages.
Most of these users are reportedly in Grades 7 to 9, aged 13 to 15 years old.
The Philippine Pediatric Society also expressed concern over the marketing strategies of some vape shops that directly target minors to purchase their products.
According to the DOH, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia are the only countries among the 11 ASEAN member states that have not yet implemented a total ban on vape products.
As a result, the Philippines has reportedly become a dumping ground for these products that cannot enter other countries, raising concerns about the continued spread of E-cigarette and Vaping-Associated Lung Injury or EVALI, which poses serious health risks.
The country also reportedly imports these products from China, Indonesia, Poland, and Malaysia.
The Department also highlighted that due to e-cigarettes and EVALI, a 22-year-old who had been using vape for two years died in 2024.
Currently, the Philippines only has Republic Act 11900, which prohibits minors from buying e-cigarettes and bans celebrities from endorsing them.
However, despite this law, many minors are still able to purchase vape products, especially through online platforms.
According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with other government agencies, the market value of confiscated illegal vape products reached P5.4 million in 2023, P32 million in 2024, P519 million in 2025, and P10 million as of March this year.
The DTI admitted that enforcement remains difficult, as vape shops reportedly respond very quickly to simultaneous operations conducted by the agency.
Health Department recommends restoring the implementation of policies and regulations on vape products under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and DOH, which are currently under the jurisdiction of the DTI.
Health effects of e-cigarettes may include upper respiratory irritation, asthma, popcorn lung, heart attacks, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer.