GROUPS from the medical and scientific community have asked President Marcos to sign the proposed vape bill into law, which they say would be a milestone in the country’s bid to provide 16 million Filipino smokers less harmful alternatives and stop smoking.
“We believe the passage of the vape bill will be a historic milestone that will become part of your administration’s legacy. Once enacted into law, it will reinforce the concerted efforts to end the smoking epidemic once and for all, and help save countless lives,” a group of medical practitioners, healthcare professionals, academicians, researchers and experts in various scientific fields said in a July 8, 2022 letter addressed to the President sent through Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez.
“The potential benefits of saving, or at the very least enhancing the quality of lives and improving long-term outcomes of smokers, with this bill once enacted into law, is a big opportunity we could not afford to lose,” they said.
Signatories to the letter include medical practitioners and healthcare professionals who have been treating patients for various smoking-related diseases for many years as well as members of the scientific community, among them Dr. Jose Dante Dator, former executive director of National Kidney and Transplant Institute; Dr. Rafael Castillo, past president of Philippine Heart Association and Asia Pacific Society of Hypertension; Dr. Arleen Reyes, past president of Philippine Dental Association; Dr. Romeo Luna Jr., president of San Juan Medical Center Staff Association; Dr. Telesforo Gana, past president of Philippine Urological Association; Dr. Fernando Fernandez, past president of Philippine College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; Dr. Howard Enriquez, past president of Philippine Society of Otolaryngology; and Dr. Alvin Laxamana, past president of Philippine Dental Association.
Others who signed the letter were Dr. Assunta Mendoza, past chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at the Manila Medical Center; Dr. Christian Luna, medical director of Tulay Lingap ni Padre Pio Surgicenter; harm reduction advocate Dr. Lorenzo Mata Jr., president of Quit for Good; Dr. Carlo Nofuente of Calamba Doctors’ Hospital, Dr. Benjamin Abela Jr., Dr. Erick de Castro of First Cabuyao Hospital and Medical Center, ophthalmologistDr. Christine Therese Santos, Dr. John Hector Pagdanganan of Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital, Dr. Benlor Buendia of Angeles Medical Center, Dr. Erwin Enrique of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Medical Center, Dr. Mark Santiago of Mother Theresa of Calcutta Medical Center and urologist and research investigator Dr. Rogelio Varela Jr.
Health professionals, professors and researchers, chemical engineers, professional fitness trainers, physicists and environmental management specialists, also signed the letter.
While the signatories are against tobacco smoking, many of them are advocates and supporters of anti-smoking campaigns and any initiative that could help smoker-patients quit smoking.
“Mr. President, we all agree that we must exert all efforts to save as many smokers’ lives as we can. Passing into law the vape bill is a significant starting point and a definitive step in the right direction to drastically reduce the number of smokers and the resulting deaths. Hopefully, it could help with our ultimate objective of making smokers quit for good,” the letter said.
“It is indisputable that smoking kills. The reality today in the Philippines is that there are approximately 110,000 Filipinos that die every year from smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer, stroke, and heart attack to name a few. That is roughly 300 Filipinos dying every day from smoking-related diseases. These are deaths that may have been prevented, if only they were given viable alternatives,” it also said.
“We are referring to smoking alternatives like vape products that could, at the very least, help mitigate the risks of serious smoking-related complications,” it added.
The vape bill awaiting the President’s signature is a reconciled version of Senate Bill No. 2239, or the “Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act,” and House Bill No. 9007, or the “Non-Combustible Nicotine Delivery Systems Regulation Act.”
Medical and scientific experts said vaping is a viable alternative and a pragmatic solution to convince smokers to stop smoking. “While there is no debate that vaping is not completely safe and still contains harmful chemicals, it is also indisputable that it is far less harmful than continued smoking, as concluded by numerous public scientific data and studies around the world. Vape products also contain far less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes,” the letter signatories said, adding: “The bottom line is that vaping can help smokers stop smoking and, in the process, reduce the number of deaths and sickness due to smoking.”
“There is no debate that these products should not be sold to minors or non-smokers. Thus, we welcome the inclusion of penal provisions in the vape bill to add more teeth for its proper enforcement,” they also said.
