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F&4 I THURSDAY December 5, 201e

Hou*e penel steyts tackling bills regulating ua9cing

ATTER President Rodrigo Duterte ordered
th e bdr 0n ontent and prevl0us rep0rts 0f devi(es that expl0ded.
some 15.9 million were smokers, represen$ng 14.7 percent
vaping in publi(pla(e5, the House 0f Representatives of
has Some advocacy groups also wel(omed the
requlation and the population. 0fthese sm0kert
started t0tadle bills regulating electr0n i( cigarettes and l2 million 0r 76 peKent dre
opposed the omplete ban ofvap€ produds.
interested 0rplant0 quitsmoking toba(co.
0ther similar devices in aj0int meeting 0fthe health
and Gat(halian 5aid the hearing seeks t0 determine the
trade and industry (ommite€s. Dodor Lorenzo Mata Jr ofQuitF0r600d said that
best publi( p0liry 0n these products, whirh are
viewed vaping (0uld be a less helpful alternative for t2
A total 0f 16 bilh have been filed in the 18th C0ngress million
as less harmfulalternatives t0 cigarettes or (ombusti_
seeking t0 regulate the use, sale, padaging,
or 76 percent 0fsmokers, wh0 are interested 0r are
dht bution and ble tobacco produ(ts.
planning to quit smokjng.
advertisement 0f vape produds, electr0ni( (igarettes,
smoking "The Philippines is in a very unique p0sition
t0seta Philip Monis'Arnaldo Grino als0 pushed for regulation.
devi(es, nic0tine and n0n-nkotine delivery sylems (Endt,
gl0ba I standa rd. Every day, there a re new studies being "We also want t0 dadry that our
and heated toba(ro produG (HIps). heated toba(co produds
published b0th in favor 0fthe complete
ban and the are notharmless.Theyare hamfu l,
Valenzueia City Rep. Weslie Gatchalian, dairman
0f the regulati0n 0fthese devices, making the rnarket
butompared t0a,
hardly an cigarette smoke, they present less risk 0f harm
House (ommittee 0n lrade and lndustrysaid than continued
the committee exact scien(e. What is clear, however, isthatthesenew
"is duty-bound t0 hear,deljberate and
smokingi'(arino said.
re(ommend the te(hnologies are here t0 stay.over zealous requlation
approval 0f the House0l Representatives0n a policythatwill The Philippine e-Cigarette Industry Asso(iati0n (peda),
could impede its growth butregulati0n that ist00lax (an
be most effective to advan(e the inlerests meanwhile, pushedfor regulati0n t0 protecl businesses
and pr0mote the be prone to a buse," he added.
welfare ofthe peoplel' and consumers from unregulated vape productvend0rs,
Data flom the Worltl Health organization (WHo)show
"The useofENDS and HIps is now who (0mpr0mise Lhe industry with l0w quality and
a nationalon(em, thatsm0king combustible cigarettes remains
the single unche(i(ed pr0ducts pr0liferating in,,fly.by-night
so much s0 that the president re(ently issued a dire(tive markets
9 reatest preventa ble cause0fdeath in the world as itkills
banning the impOrtation and use 0lEnds and or unregulated online stores.
Hlps in more than 8 million people everyyear
Around g0 percent A(ording t0 Peda, there are over g79 vapinq stores
publk spaces," he said.
ofthe 1.1 billi0n sm0kers in the world live in low_
and
The Department 0f Health (DoH)andthe employing at lean2,637 individuals in the philippines.The
F00d and Drugs middle-inc0me c0untrjes like the philippines.
Authority supp0rted lhe rcgulalion ofvape productj, Philippine industry f0r vapor products als0 (ontdbutes
noting t0 the
The latest suruey onducted by the DoH and the philippines
the negative eflects t0 health and sdfety
su(h as thedemi(al -
Statisti6 Authodty found that 0f the 108 milli0n
export ma et
Filipin0s, DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ

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