Vape users reminded of existing laws

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2019 09:07:08 +0000

VAPE smoker. (Photo by Jansen Romero)

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) warned vape users they may be arrested for using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette) in public for violation of the existing clean air act and anti-smoking laws.

Vape users have claimed that mere verbal order of President Duterte to ban e-cigarette use in public is not binding with the absence of an executive order (EO).

Recent reports showed that hundreds of public vape users were nabbed by the police and later released as cases were never filed due to the absence of the EO.

However, DILG Public Affairs chief Tess Vergara contended that vape users may be arrested as the two aforementioned laws are in existence.

“May dalawang batas — clean air act and anti-smoking laws. Ang sabi naman po pag public places pwede silang hulihin,” Vergara said.

The DILG is just waiting for the EO which will empower the local government units (LGU) to fully enforce the law against the importation of vape and prohibition of its use in public places.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said a memorandum circular will be made directing the LGUs to approve ordinances of the illegal use of vapes once the President signs the EO.

To recall, President Duterte was keen on not only banning vape use but also selling e-cigarettes.

Romualdo Jacutin, a vape shop owner, said that he “sees no problem in following the law’’ but pleaded with the President to just regulate vape use and its importation instead of totally banning it.

Since small businessmen like him invested capital on the venture, Jacutin said the total ban on vape use will force them to “close shop and incur huge losses which run up to hundreds of thousand pesos’’.

Other vape shop owners insisted that if the clean air act and no-smoking laws are the basis for the ban on the use of vapes, they said the government should impose similar actions on regular cigarettes.

“Parehong usok naman lumalabas sa sigarilyo at sa vape. Dapat siguro pagbawal din ang paggamit ng sigarilyo sa bansa kahit pa sabihing nagdadala ito ng malaking income sa gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng buwis,’’ the vape owners complained.

Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge (OIC) Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa clarified the arrested publi
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