Experts to DepEd: Help regulate vape products in schools

Health experts are seeking the help of the Department of Education (DepEd) in regulating vape products in schools.

"Pag bumili ka ng e-cigarettes ngayon may kasamang lanyard. Ang gaganda pa ng mga lanyard at akala nung ibang teacher, akala nung ibang magulang, flash drive lang sila, pero lo and behold, ano pala sila, vape pala (When you buy e-cigarettes today, they come with a lanyard. The lanyards are even better and other teachers and parents thought, they were just flash drives. But lo and behold, they are vapes)," Dr. Maricar Limpin, pulmonologist and president of the Philippine College of Physicians, said in a forum on Thursday.

"So yes, DOH is actually talking to the Department of Education para ma-regulate yung (to regulate these) vape products na ito," Limpin added.

In March, DepEd further intensified its efforts to end vaping within school premises, including a ban on the sale and promotion of the product within a 100-meter radius of the schools.

The programs were rolled out in compliance with DepEd Order 14 and DepEd Memorandum 111, which prohibits the use of cigarettes and vapes in schools.

"The Department of Education has a program, they started with the teachers on no smoking and vaping actually. So they will trickle it down," Dr. Riz Gonzalez, chair of the Philippine Pediatric Society Tobacco and Nicotine Control Advocacy Group, said.

Gonzalez also Mentioned Executive Order (EO) No. 26 which establishes smoke-free environments which was passed in 2017.

In 2020, then-President Rodrigo Duterte passed EO 106, amending EO 26, to include Electronic Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Delivery Systems as well as background and heated tobacco products. It also encompasses manufacturing, licensing, importation, marketing, and the sales of vapes.

"So ang laging tanong (So this is always the question), will we ever be heard? Yes, take a picture, report it to your local government because it's the children we're speaking [about]. You have the power, it is informing them that there is a law. Publicize it. Use your power, use the media," Gonzalez said.

"You can see the parallelism of the tobacco industry in popularizing the tobacco product. The industry is telling this is harm reduction but for me as a pediatrician who takes care of developing children, this is harm introduction," she added.