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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Gatchalian slams online shopping apps for allowing sale of illicit tobacco, vapes

Gatchalian slams online shopping apps for allowing sale of illicit tobacco, vapes

Published Feb 3, 2025 08:09 am

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian called out online shopping platforms, including Shopee, Lazada, Tiktok Shop, Facebook Market, and Instagram, for allowing the sale of illicit tobacco and vapor products.


At a recent Senate hearing, Gatchalian lamented that these online shopping applications have made it easy for young people to access these regulated items.


“The online platforms should do a much better job in terms of filtering these illicit products. You have become the gateway to an increase in smoking prevalence,” Gatchalian told representatives of Shopee and Lazada at a recent hearing on the rising incidence of illicit trade on excisable products, particularly tobacco and vapor products.


“It’s the responsibility of the platforms to make sure that these products do not end up in the hands of the youth,” the senator added.


The chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means said such actions may have contributed to the rising prevalence of smoking in the country, especially among teenagers.


Gatchalian cited a study conducted in Australia that showed the rate of smoking initiation at nearly five times higher among those who tried vaping compared to those who never vaped.


In the Philippines, data from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) revealed that new smokers increased to 9.53 million in 2023 from 2021. Of these, 1.13 million are adolescents, or those aged 10 to 19 years.


The senator stressed that online platforms should be the first line of defense in preventing young individuals from accessing health-risk products such as cigarettes and vapes.


“The platforms know all the products being posted and sold on their sites. If these platforms allow these transactions, then they’re enabling this harmful practice,” he said.


The lawmaker also pointed out Republic Act 11967 or the Internet Transaction Act (ITA) covers the sale of these products on online shopping platforms.


“These are highly regulated products, and we enacted the ITA precisely to prevent this from happening,” he reiterated.




Related Tags

Sherwin Gatchalian vape law SMOKING online shopping Cigarette smuggling sin tax
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