CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Health officials here said that vaping is also harmful to everyone’s health, hence it cannot be considered a good alternative for cigarettes.

Dr. Tristan Jediah Labitad, the non-communicable diseases cluster head of the Department of Health (DOH) in Region 10, stood his ground as a health professional and an advocate that vaping is still detrimental to lung health.

“Exposing your lungs to these different substances would lead to nagkalain-laing mga sakit (different diseases), usa niana ang (one of that is) TB ,” said Labitad.

“If you care for yourself, the lives of your family, your children and your community, stop smoking. Okay? And vaping is not an option. Okay?” he added.

DOH-10 Infectious Disease Cluster head Dr. Wellaflor Kindom-Brito echoed Labitad’s stand and cited a recent clinical trial and research in which the conclusion, she said, showed that vaping is still deadly and even more dangerous than cigarette smoking.

“We all know that medicine and science, dynamic man gyud ni sya nga world nuh (it is a dynamic world). So, from time to time, naay mga updates depende sa (there are updates, depending on the) evidence and research nga (that is) available,” explained Brito.

“And we now have data and evidence that vaping is also dangerous sa atong (to our) lungs,” she added.

Labitad and Brito issued the statements during DOH-10’s conduct of the second episode of Konsultayo at one of the malls here Thursday, August 11, which was also broadcasted live in the social media, in line of the “National TB Day Celebration.”

The proposed law entitled ‘Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act’ which was ratified by Congress in January has lapsed into law on July 25 as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not act on it.

The law regulates the importation, manufacture, sale, packaging, distribution, use and communication of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products, as well as novel tobacco products.

Under the new law, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is tasked to consult with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in setting technical standards for the safety, consistency, and quality of vape products.

It can be recalled that the DOH, in a press release in December last year, strongly opposed the previous bill and said that it is ‘retrogressive and contains several provisions that contradict public health goals and international standards.’

However, despite the opposition from health officials and health advocates, there were also medical experts who supported the passage of the Vape bill.

In an article, Dr. Arleen Reyes, past president of the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) and the chairman of the Scientific Committee for the Asia Pacific Dental Federation, lauded the lawmakers and the Marcos administration for the passage of the said bill into law as it would mean to eradicate the smoking epidemic in the country.