Youth groups push nationwide ban on vapes, e-cigarettes

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

QUEZON CITY — More than 6,000 young people across the Philippines joined a nationwide campaign calling for an immediate ban on vapes and e-cigarettes during the country’s largest youth-led World No Tobacco Day celebration, organizers said.

The campaign, dubbed “Pilipinas, TobaccOFF NOW!” mobilized youth advocates online and on the ground from May 20-31 to protest tobacco and vape industry influence and demand stronger government action against nicotine addiction among young Filipinos.

The movement featured youth-led activities including fun runs, boot camps, and theater performances in Baguio City, Itogon in Benguet, Mindoro, Iloilo City, Marawi City, Lucena City, and General Santos City, among others.

The campaign culminated in a major event May 23 in Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City, attended by more than 250 young people and organized in partnership with the Sangguniang Kabataan of Batasan Hills.

Partners included the Department of Health, the Quezon City local government, ImagineLaw, and HealthJustice.

Activities included learning sessions and a panel discussion involving a government worker, a parent, a community organizer, and a former youth vaper, followed by an advocacy march to Serbisyong Bayan Park featuring placards, chants, and the TobaccOFF NOW! campaign jingle.

The evening program concluded with the launch of a collective youth call to ban vapes and protect young Filipinos from nicotine addiction.

“Through Pilipinas, TobaccOFF NOW! and the broader F*Nicotine campaign, we, the youth, get to express our frustration about tobacco, vape, and other nicotine products taking over our lives and our health,” said Vonn Vincent Tanchuan, campaign lead of the TobaccOFF NOW! Movement.

“We’ve been inspired by the youth sentiments online and in communities, reminding our government that we deserve better protection from the tobacco and vape industry,” Tanchuan added. “I know that our movement will just grow bigger and bigger until this is achieved.”

Organizers said the Philippine campaign forms part of the broader global anti-nicotine initiative F*Nicotine, which is also active in Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States.

The campaign seeks to expose what organizers described as tactics used by the tobacco and vape industry to attract young users through flavored products and appealing packaging.

The movement cited data from the Institute for Global Tobacco Control and the National Library of Medicine showing that approximately 1.21 million Filipino youth currently use e-cigarettes.

The same data showed vaping among Filipinos ages 13-15 has reached 14.1 percent, surpassing the smoking rate for regular cigarettes at 12.5 percent.

“Our youth-led movement is urgently calling for an immediate ban on vapes and e-cigarettes because these harmful products serve as the starting point for our young people, encouraging them to eventually use cigarettes and other nicotine products,” said Jeannie Anne Maguad, executive director of the Positive Youth Development Network.

“This immediate action must be taken while simultaneously executing the other crucial demands in our TobaccOFF NOW! manifesto, including: eliminating flavors, terminating packaging designs, and strongly enforcing advertising bans,” Maguad added.

World No Tobacco Day is observed every May 31 to raise awareness about the health and social risks associated with tobacco use and nicotine addiction.