Public health advocates and child protection groups urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure strict enforcement of anti-smoking and anti-vaping policies, most importantly the smoking and vaping ban, in and near school premises ahead of the academic year 2025 and in time for No Smoking Month this June.

HealthJustice, together with its allies, the Philippine Pediatric Society (PDS) and Child Rights Network (CRN), highlighted that tobacco and vape use contribute to over 112,000 deaths annually in the Philippines, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's Global Burden of Disease study.

“As students return to school, we call on the Department of Education to enforce strict safeguards to protect minors against tobacco and vape use and advertising near school zones," Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, Board Member of HealthJustice Philippines and former Health Secretary, said.

"We cannot let our children be exposed to tobacco and vape products that increase their risk of nicotine dependence and its associated noncommunicable diseases,” Galvez Tan stressed.

The groups also raised concerns about the rising prevalence of cigarette and vape use among youth, as about 4.8 percent of Filipinos aged 10 to 19 are cigarette smokers according to the 2023 Food and Nutrition Research Institute National Nutrition Survey, while one in every seven Filipino students aged 13 to 15 years old is already using e-cigarette or vape based on the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey.

As children spend most of their time in school where peer influence and social environments strongly shape their habits, firm government and school policies against tobacco and vape would help reinforce the message to the younger population that "the use of these products are harmful and should not be normalized," according to Dr. Riz Gonzalez, chairperson of the Tobacco Control Advocacy Group of PDS.

“We also call on parents and guardians to remain vigilant on tobacco and vape use among their children, since it can often be overlooked. We encourage them to provide nutritious meals and to motivate their children to engage in worthwhile sports activities," Gonzalez said.

Doing so can contribute to improving their children’s physical and mental health, effectively reducing the appeal of using harmful substances to cope with stress or hunger,” she added.

Section 9 of Republic Act 11900 or the Vape Law of 2022 prohibits the sale, promotion, advertising, and product demonstration of tobacco products within 100 meters of school premises or other public spaces frequented by minors.

Meanwhile, for Au Quilala, spokesperson of CRN and Deputy Executive Director of the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development, "education is compromised when learners are burdened by the harmful health effects of tobacco and vape products."

"Filipino children and youth have the right to know and must be taught that smoking kills and so does vaping, which will never be a safe alternative," Quilala said.

"They also need to have access to a safe and healthy learning environment, and it is the Department of Education’s responsibility to provide that for them,” she continued.

The groups’ call comes just days after World No Tobacco Day, a yearly celebration to raise public awareness on the tobacco epidemic and its harmful health impacts.

“DepEd must do its part to ensure this smoking prevalence and vapedemic will not burden the future generations,” Quilala added.