At A Glance
- AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray Reyes has hailed President Marcos' directive for the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to clamp down on illegal vape products and cigarettes.
- President Marcos earlier ordered the BIR to exert all efforts to catch illegal traders of vape and cigarettes whether they sell these products in physical stores or online.
- Reyes also renewed his call to transfer the mandate of regulating vape products to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray Reyes (Facebook)
A pro-health solon has hailed President Marcos' directive for the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to clamp down on illegal vape products and cigarettes.
"We share the President's concern as illegal vape and e-cigarettes are becoming more and more accessible to the youth," AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray Reyes said in a recent statement.
Reyes says that vape companies' unmet tax obligations are part of the reason why such products are so easy to get hold of.
"Even minors can easily buy these products that are sold cheap because they do not pay proper taxes," he said.
President Marcos earlier ordered the BIR to exert all efforts to catch illegal traders of vape and cigarettes whether they sell these products in physical stores or online.
"More than the loss of revenue from taxes that should have been paid, we should also make sure that vape and e-cigarettes remain off limits to minors," Reyes said.
The rookie lawmaker also renewed his call to transfer the mandate of regulating vape products to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Reyes said the DTI has been remiss in it duties to regulate vape. "How can minors still have access to these illegal products? DTI has shown that it lacks the capability to regulate these products strictly."
The DTI is the government agency charged with implementing Republic Act (RA) No. 11900 or the Vape Law.
According to the agency, some of the most common violations are retailers failing to verify the age of buyers and selling vape products that are packaged, labeled, presented, or marketed with flavor descriptors that unduly appeal to minors.