The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is studying the proposal of some government agencies to ban the sale of disposable vape products in the mass market.
In early March, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto expressed his thoughts on possibly banning disposal vape products, citing unregulated sales of the product and the manufacturers’ non-compliance to tax duties.
The Department of Health (DOH) supported Recto's call, highlighting the health risks of vape products such as lung injury, nicotine addiction, and other respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Since DTI has the primary mandate with respect to vape products, DTI Assistant Secretary Amanda Nograles of the Consumer Protection Group (CPG) told reporters on March 8 that the proposal needs further study because there are varying testing treatments to vape devices, vape consumables, the actual vape system, and their disposable counterpart.
Disposable vapes are single-use devices that include the actual refill product, making the device indivisible to the consumable.
Nograles explained that this is harmful because knowing the effects of its pods is made more difficult since they cannot be separated.
“That's why we are readying our testing of the devices and consumables. [In lieu of testing areas] We currently accommodate [manufacturers’] submissions for testing from accredited labs,” she said.
Nograles said that they have already requested less than P170 million in additional funding to build more testing facilities for vape products. However, this has not been discussed and finalized as of yet.
Currently, there are DTI-BPS testing laboratories for vape products in Dasmarinas City, Cavite, which can test the vape devices.
There are currently no facilities or equipment that test consumables, she noted, which is why they accept testing submissions from other laboratories.
Republic Act. No. 11900 or the “Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act” was enforced in December 2023. Since it came into effect, the DTI was able to immediately implement its guidelines on graphic health warnings and advertising aimed at children and minors.
“At present, our rule is [vape products will be] subject to product certification and registration, which starts in June 2024. By this time, vape products or heated tobacco products (HTP) that did not pass through the DTI-BPS product certification and registration process will be prohibited to enter or be sold [in the country],” explained Nograles.
By January 2025, DTI will inspect the products circulating in the market, aiming to find zero unregistered vape or HTP items. By that time, they will also begin confiscation of products with no DTI product certification.