Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go expressed his full support to President Rodrigo Duterte as the latter announced Tuesday night his decision to ban the use and importation of e-cigarettes into the country.
The senator, who initially spoke about recommending to the President the need to regulate e-cigarettes or vape, told reporters in an interview after his fire visit in Tondo, Manila City that the President has already made a decision and will release an executive order soon.
“Noong nakaraang linggo, nagbigay ako ng aking stand, opinion, na dapat i-regulate ‘yung vape dahil para sa akin, importante po ang kalusugan. Sa ngayon, may desisyon na po ang ating Pangulo at maglalabas siya ng executive order,” Go said.
The President’s decision came after the Department of Health (DOH) announced that there is a probable case of the country’s first reported E-Cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) after a teenager in Central Visayas region was admitted in an intensive care unit after complaining of difficulty in breathing.
The 16-year-old teenager who has been vaping for six months, and concurrently also smoked cigarettes, was admitted on October 21 with findings of “sudden-onset severe shortness of breath, required oxygen supplementation and ICU admission.”
The DOH has been pushing for a total ban on e-cigarettes, stating that there is still no evidence to support claims that the devices do not cause harmful effects on human health nor are they a better alternative to conventional nicotine products, such as tobacco cigarettes.
