One in seven students vape; advocates demand a crackdown

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

MANILA — Health and child rights advocates have expressed support for the call of Department of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa to strengthen regulations on vape and tobacco products, including raising the legal age of access to 25 and increasing taxes on these products.

The Philippine Tobacco Control Coalition, a group composed of health experts and advocacy organizations, said on Friday, March 6, that it stands in “solid support” of the DOH chief’s statements addressing misinformation about electronic cigarettes and the need for stronger regulation.

Members of the coalition include the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, TobaccOFF NOW! Movement, Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development, Child Rights Network, Action for Economic Reforms, ImagineLaw, Philippine Smoke-Free Movement, HealthJustice Philippines, Parents Against Vape, and Transcend.

The coalition echoed Herbosa’s warning that vaping is a public health threat requiring immediate legislative action.

The group stressed that vaping should not be described as “less harmful” than smoking, citing the country’s first death linked to e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, known as EVALI, involving a 22-year-old.

It also pointed to data indicating that one in seven Filipino students already use vapes.

The World Health Organization has consistently warned that e-cigarettes are not proven safe and that their long-term health effects remain largely unknown, a position that has strengthened calls from health groups worldwide for tighter regulation.

Advocates urged Congress to prioritize public health, particularly the protection of young people, over industry interests.

Among the coalition’s key proposals is raising the legal age for purchasing vape and tobacco products from 18 to 25.

The group said scientific evidence shows the human brain continues developing until the mid-20s, warning that nicotine exposure during this period can impair impulse control, learning, and mood regulation.

Advocates also called for higher taxes on tobacco and vape products, arguing that increased taxes are a proven deterrent to youth consumption while also generating revenue for the country’s health programs.

“The industry’s claim that high taxes drive smuggling is a myth; the real culprit is weak enforcement. This narrative only serves to protect a product that kills thousands. We must implement maximum tobacco taxes now,” the coalition said.

The group also reiterated its long-standing position calling for a total ban on vapes, cigarettes, and other tobacco products, including heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.

Advocates noted that several Southeast Asian countries have already implemented such measures.

“Eight out of eleven ASEAN countries have already taken the only correct action by banning e-cigarettes, and Malaysia is expected to follow soon,” said Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, executive director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance.

“Meanwhile, the Philippines will be left alone with Indonesia, the only ASEAN member state that is not Party to the WHO FCTC. The government says ‘Sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Buhay Mahalaga’ but has not banned e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, while Filipinos, particularly young people, are being addicted, poisoned, and killed every day. The Department of Health must stand firm that banning e-cigarettes and phasing out cigarettes are the only way to truly protect public health and bring us closer to a true tobacco endgame,” he added.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is an international treaty adopted in 2003 that provides a regulatory framework for reducing tobacco use worldwide. The Philippines ratified the treaty in 2005.

Vonn Vincent Tanchuan of the TobaccOFF NOW! Movement said youth advocates continue to push for a ban on all tobacco and vape products.

“We cannot allow a new generation of Filipinos to be hooked on a different kind of poison like vapes, HTPs, and nicotine pouches under the guise of ‘harm reduction’,” Tanchuan said.

“The science is clear — the youth brain is still under development until age 25. Protecting the young means ensuring their biological development is shielded from addictive substances until that point.”

Sophia San Luis of ImagineLaw also backed the health department’s proposal.

“Lowering the age of restriction from 21 to 18 should never have happened. It made addiction more accessible to the youth. Lowering taxes on vapes will do irreversible damage to our health and economy. It is a big mistake,” San Luis said.

“We support the DOH’s call to increase taxes, increase the age of restriction to 25 years old, and progressively move towards completely banning vapes and other nicotine products.”

Philippine Smoke-Free Movement National Coordinator Rizza Duro warned against framing vaping as a safer alternative to smoking.

“The continued framing of vaping as ‘less harmful’ is misleading and dangerous. All cigarettes and vape products are harmful. Both contain toxic substances. Both pose risks to cardiovascular and respiratory health. Both are addictive. Both must be strictly regulated,” Duro said.

Duro added that cases of EVALI are increasing globally while youth nicotine addiction is rising locally, emphasizing that the issue is about public health protection rather than product preference.

Pia Rodrigo of Action for Economic Reforms said increasing taxes on vape products would help protect Filipino youth from nicotine addiction.

She added that narrowing the tax gap between vape products, heated tobacco products, and traditional cigarettes is necessary because both types of products pose health risks.

Rodrigo also noted that sin tax reforms implemented since 2012 expanded fiscal space for Universal Health Care and significantly reduced smoking prevalence.

“These gains must not be compromised. Lowering vape taxes risks normalizing nicotine addiction, undermining public health policy, and sacrificing revenues needed for public health,” Rodrigo said.

Au Quilala, executive director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development and convener of the Child Rights Network, also urged lawmakers to support the DOH’s stance.

“We support [Herbosa]’s position to raise the age restriction to 25 and to increase taxes on tobacco products, including heated tobacco and e-cigarettes,” Quilala said.

She also called for greater transparency in tax discussions in the House of Representatives and urged legislators to prioritize the protection of children and young people from nicotine addiction.

“Sin taxes help prevent children and young people from starting and becoming addicted to tobacco products,” Quilala said, warning against policy changes that could make vape products more affordable and accessible.

Rebie Relator of Parents Against Vape reiterated the findings in backing raising the legal age for tobacco and vape use.

“Scientific evidence shows that the youth brain continues to develop until the mid-20s. Nicotine exposure during this period can lead to lasting impairments in impulse control, learning, and mood regulation,” Relator said.