SPONSOR and Bicameral Conference Chair of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker for Trade and Industry, and Valenzuela 1st District Representative Wes Gatchalian is appealing for President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (PRRD) to sign the vaporized nicotine products (VNP) bill.

Both houses of Congress approved and ratified the bill that would regulate vaping and other non-combustible nicotine products, paving the way for the 16 million Filipino smokers to switch to a better alternative if they could not quit cigarettes.

“This is a game-changer. Years from now, when our country is rid of the smoking menace, we will look back at this Congress for starting the journey towards a smoke-free Philippines,” Deputy Speaker Gatchalian, the chair of the House panel and sponsor of the bill in the House, said.

“This landmark bill is a comprehensive regulatory measure that will ensure that vaporized nicotine products, heated tobacco products, and other novel tobacco products will follow product standards to protect the public. This will also encourage adult smokers to stop smoking and consider these less harmful smoke-free alternatives.”

The VNP bill sets strong measures to keep these products away from minors and non-smokers. Advertisements should not target or particularly appeal to minors.

VNP use is also banned in schools, playgrounds, colleges, and universities.

In keeping with current technology, the bill also restricts online sales and e-commerce platforms and prohibits the industry from contracting health professionals, celebrities, and even social media influencers, to promote or encourage these products.

The regulatory framework will require manufacturers and importers to comply with mandatory standards and register their products with the DTI before introducing them in the market.

Deputy Speaker Gatchalian also shared that in 2019, the public was concerned with the reported cases of E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) in the United States caused by backyard industry players.

He added that “the mandatory product standards for e-cigarettes under this bill will prevent EVALI from happening here in the Philippines. That’s why we pushed for the Department of Trade to be the regulator of these products because it has the expertise in setting product standards in line with international practice.”

The DTI and the FDA are also mandated to develop mandatory product standards that the industry should comply with.

Graphic health warnings will also be imposed on the product packaging of VNPs.

On the other side, there are also those whose livelihood depends on these products’ value chain.

According to Gatchalian, the vaporized nicotine and heated tobacco products industry have created 879 new enterprises and employs 3,000 employees.

“By providing a comprehensive framework for these novel tobacco products, we can not only rid the country of combustible cigarettes. We can, at the same time, ensure that the livelihood of Filipinos in these industries is secured,” said the businessman-lawmaker.

More importantly, the bill will prevent the proliferation of the backyard industry, depriving the country of much-needed taxes.

The bill will ensure that only legitimate products are introduced to the market and that proper excise taxes are paid to benefit the tax collection efforts of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

In 2019, the excise taxes collected by the government on these products have increased from P12.2 billion to P15.3 billion, representing a growth of around 25%.

“The taxes generated by these products can help the country as we strive to recover from the devastating economic effects of the pandemic,” he continued.

Finally, the signing of the vaping bill by the President will help industries that have been affected by the pandemic.

DTI data revealed that over 75% of the registered and unregistered MSMEs were forced to completely stop operations or partially stop during the height of the pandemic, translating the figures to an estimated 3.75 million enterprises.