Manila Bulletin
Vaping should first be regulated by law before vape products can be taxed – Tolentino
Vaping should first be regulated by law before vape products can be taxed – Tolentino
Vaping should first be regulated by law before vape products can be taxed – Tolentino
By CJ Juntereal
Published Nov 10, 2019 02:52 pm
By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Francis Tolentino on Sunday expressed belief that the government should first consider coming up with a law regulating the use of vaping products before imposing additional taxes on them.
Senator Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino
(Senator Francis Tolentino official Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Tolentino made the call as he noticed that there was still no law that regulates the use of vapes, but the government is already considering generating additional revenues from the sale of vape and e-cigarette products. "Wala naman tayong regulasyon na pinapayagan ang vaping sa Pilipinas. So paano natin bubuwisan ang isang bagay na hindi pa ligal? (We have no law regulating and allowing vaping in the Philippines. So why are we subjecting to tax something we don't yet consider to be legal)?" Tolentino said in an interview aired over GMA News TV. "Kung walang regulasyon, eh parang iligal. Ang sinasabi ko dito, bakit natin bubuwisan ang isang bagay na nakapasok sa merkado na hindi pa nga legal? (If there's no regulation, then that is considered illegal. My point here is, why are taxing a product that entered the market that is not considered legal)" the senator pointed out. "Ang lumalabas sa hearing sa Lower House, at natanong ko rin kay Sen. Pia Cayetano, eh wala pang regulasyon na pinapalabas dito ang Food and Drug Administration (FDA), maging ang Department of Health (DOH) at Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), (it appears during the hearings at the Lower House, and I asked Sen. Pia Cayetano, that the FDA, DOH and DTI have not issued any regulations on these products)," he pointed out. Currently, the Senate is deliberating Senate Bill No. 1074 which seeks to impose additional taxes on e-cigarettes and vaping products to help fund the government's Universal Health Care Law. Tolentino pointed out that some countries, including the United States, are already studying the negative impact of vaping to over-all health. US authorities, he noted, have also expressed alarm over the number of deaths related to vaping. He said at least 39 individuals in the US have died due to vaping. Some countries have also launched their own study on the negative effects of vaping on the lungs and cardiac health. Vitamin E acetate, an active ingredient in vaping products, he said, is now being identified as the main culprit in the number of vape- related deaths. Another risk factor of allowing the sale of vaping products unregulated, is its ability to entice young people to use it, as some vape manufacturers offer different flavors like vanilla, strawberry or mango. Tolentino also warned that illegal drug dealers could take advantage of vaping products to sell shabu or marijuana. "So bakit natin hahayaan na magkaroon sila ng access dito? Para tayong kumuhan ng bato na ipupukpok sa ating mga ulo kapag lumaki ang problema nito (So why are we allowing them to have access here? We are just going to add another problem if we allow this to happen)" Tolentino pointed out. " Pwede naman nating ipagbawal na muna habang hindi pa natin alam ang medical environment nito. Bakit tayo nagmamadali? (We can ban the use of these products for now while we are still finding out the medical environment for this kind of product. Why do we need to rush?") he stressed.
Senator Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino(Senator Francis Tolentino official Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN) Tolentino made the call as he noticed that there was still no law that regulates the use of vapes, but the government is already considering generating additional revenues from the sale of vape and e-cigarette products. "Wala naman tayong regulasyon na pinapayagan ang vaping sa Pilipinas. So paano natin bubuwisan ang isang bagay na hindi pa ligal? (We have no law regulating and allowing vaping in the Philippines. So why are we subjecting to tax something we don't yet consider to be legal)?" Tolentino said in an interview aired over GMA News TV. "Kung walang regulasyon, eh parang iligal. Ang sinasabi ko dito, bakit natin bubuwisan ang isang bagay na nakapasok sa merkado na hindi pa nga legal? (If there's no regulation, then that is considered illegal. My point here is, why are taxing a product that entered the market that is not considered legal)" the senator pointed out. "Ang lumalabas sa hearing sa Lower House, at natanong ko rin kay Sen. Pia Cayetano, eh wala pang regulasyon na pinapalabas dito ang Food and Drug Administration (FDA), maging ang Department of Health (DOH) at Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), (it appears during the hearings at the Lower House, and I asked Sen. Pia Cayetano, that the FDA, DOH and DTI have not issued any regulations on these products)," he pointed out. Currently, the Senate is deliberating Senate Bill No. 1074 which seeks to impose additional taxes on e-cigarettes and vaping products to help fund the government's Universal Health Care Law. Tolentino pointed out that some countries, including the United States, are already studying the negative impact of vaping to over-all health. US authorities, he noted, have also expressed alarm over the number of deaths related to vaping. He said at least 39 individuals in the US have died due to vaping. Some countries have also launched their own study on the negative effects of vaping on the lungs and cardiac health. Vitamin E acetate, an active ingredient in vaping products, he said, is now being identified as the main culprit in the number of vape- related deaths. Another risk factor of allowing the sale of vaping products unregulated, is its ability to entice young people to use it, as some vape manufacturers offer different flavors like vanilla, strawberry or mango. Tolentino also warned that illegal drug dealers could take advantage of vaping products to sell shabu or marijuana. "So bakit natin hahayaan na magkaroon sila ng access dito? Para tayong kumuhan ng bato na ipupukpok sa ating mga ulo kapag lumaki ang problema nito (So why are we allowing them to have access here? We are just going to add another problem if we allow this to happen)" Tolentino pointed out. " Pwede naman nating ipagbawal na muna habang hindi pa natin alam ang medical environment nito. Bakit tayo nagmamadali? (We can ban the use of these products for now while we are still finding out the medical environment for this kind of product. Why do we need to rush?") he stressed.