The Philippine National Police (PNP) will be running after owners of e-cigarette stores located near schools, with the focus on protecting the minors after more than 6,700 were apprehended from May 1 to Dec. 31 last year for vaping in public places.  

In the meantime, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the PNP is finalizing the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the Republic Act 11900, or the vape law in the Philippines, in order to ensure uniform enforcement across the country. 

Currently, she said the PNP in constant consultation with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in order to come up with the best strategies not only in ensuring that vapes would not be available to minors, but also in ensuring that those selling them to minors would be arrested and prosecuted. 

“Once we see violators, particularly those selling e-cigarettes near schools, definitely we will be coordinating with the DTI and the local government units to cancel the license to operate and of course, corresponding criminal cases will be filed against them,” said Fajardo.

Based on the PNP data, more than 121,000 people were arrested in both the implementation of the RA 11900 and the Executive Order 26, or the nationwide ban on smoking in public places, from May 1 to Dec. 31 last year—more than 6,700 of them were minors.

But since the minors could not be detained, they were just released to their parents. 

The campaign against vaping was renewed after DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa sought assistance from the PNP in protecting the minors from vaping after confirmed reports of lung damage on some minors based on the data from the Lung Center of the Philippines.

What further bothered Herbosa was when he personally saw minors in school uniforms openly vaping even inside the malls. 

“We are conducting coordination meetings with various government agencies and the intention of these meetings is to protect the minors,” said Fajardo.

Aside from strict enforcement, she said the PNP is also eyeing a massive information drive to discourage minors from smoking.

“We could do that (PNP holding lectures for minors). We are just finalizing and fine-tuning the implementing guidelines on how to really implement RA 11900 including if there is a need for our police officers to conduct lectures,” said Fajardo.

“But I think the best people to conduct lectures are from the DOH because this is a health concern but the PNP is willing to assist with respect to law enforcement,” she added.