By Argyll Cyrus Geducos President Duterte said he was ordering the ban on vaping because he refused to be remembered as the President who did nothing to help people with health issues. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte  (JOEY DALUMPINES/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO/ MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) Duterte made the statement following his announcement of a vaping ban because vape products supposedly contain nicotine and other unknown chemicals, and are not regulated by the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In an interview with CNN Philippines, Duterte reiterated the dangers of vaping and said he cannot allow neglect of public health to taint his legacy. "I will not be remembered, I will not allow to be remembered as a President who was... Who did nothing to help the people in the health issues," he said. Duterte said he did not approve of vaping because even if it was intended to substitute cigarettes, these products still contained nicotine. "That is a substitute for nicotine, nilalagyan ng nicotine 'yan para bumuga ka rin (But that still contains nicotine that's why people still use it). So what the f**k? You still contaminate..." he said. "If you want to die of cancer, go ahead. But do not contaminate the other people," he added. Duterte then said that he first should know the contents of vaping products before considering to allow them in the market again, saying some people could put harmful substances in them like marijuana and ecstasy. "Vaping is a form of a... contrivance or a gadget intended to house the nicotine and other chemicals which I do not know as President. I should know the contents," he said. "Kasi nilagyan na nila ng flavor and added ano... 'Pag magsalubong itong isang ecstasy o lagyan, lagyan mo ng marijuana, nilalagyan nila ng marijuana eh. Pag meet diyan ang nicotine (If nicotine and ecstasy or marijuana are mixed), you do not know what another chemical has been produced and that chemical did not pass FDA," he added. The President then reiterated that the government had the right to implement measures protecting the public's health. "So I have the right to say do not sell it because I have not yet given you, that’s government saying it. Huwag mong ipagbili yan kasi hindi pa dumaan ng FDA 'yan. Ngayon kung ipagbili mo, kukunin ko yan (Do not sell them because it has not passed the FDA. Now if you sell it, I will confiscate it) because it can cause health problems," Duterte said. "Government has the right to come out with measures to protect public interest, public health, public education, public works and so on and so forth," he added. Last week, Duterte verbally ordered the arrest of those vaping in public after the Department of Health (DOH) reported that a 16-year-old girl from Central Visayas suffered lung injury due to e-cigarettes. The Philippine National Police (PNP) earlier explained that Duterte's vaping ban was anchored on the Tobacco Regulatory Act and the Clean Air Act, which both "can cause the arrest of any violator." The PNP also said that they would arrest foreign athletes and visitors in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games should they violate a ban on the use of vaping devices or e-cigarettes in public. Duterte earlier explained that he allowed the manufacture and importation of tobacco because they are being taxed and regulated by the government, unlike e-cigarettes or vapes.